


Taking a Chance

by Liliya



Category: Life Is Strange (Video Game)
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Character Death, Cuddling & Snuggling, Deviates From Canon, Dom/sub Undertones, F/F, First Kiss, First Time, Fluff and Angst, Guilt, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Love Bites, Panic, Porn with Feelings, Recreational Drug Use, Smut, Survivor Guilt, Teasing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-28
Updated: 2018-09-21
Packaged: 2019-07-03 22:08:14
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 49,718
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15827886
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Liliya/pseuds/Liliya
Summary: After investigating Blackwell and having a midnight swim, Max takes a chance with Chloe once they're back in her bedroom. She brings out Chloe's playful and dominant side... but was it poor timing on the time traveling photographer's part? Or was it ultimately for the best? And then everything changes.





	1. First kiss. Ok first pretty much everything.

**Author's Note:**

> So originally this was a one-shot... and then I decided to add another chapter. I was going to start another series, focusing on more narrative and some smut... but hey, plans change and I decided to use the first two chapters as a prologue of a now ongoing story. Yay?

Max and Chloe giggled softly as they climbed gingerly through the window into Chloe's bedroom, the smell of chlorine wafting off of their bodies. They had just returned from their investigation of Principal Wells's office and their detour into enjoying a late night dip in the Blackwell Academy's heated pool... followed by a stealthy escape when security came to investigate.

"That was so fucking cool!" Chloe exclaimed in a hushed whisper, bouncing slightly on her heels as the adrenaline still hummed in her veins.

Max smiled and nodded, watching with a slightly guilty look on her face as the blue-haired punk took another look at the money stolen from the handicap fund and then tucked it away until she could use it to pay off Frank... or "blow this shithole of a town". She hated the thought of stealing that money but her faith that they'd find another way to pay off Frank was weaker than the pain inflicted in Max's conscience when she saw how dejected Chloe had been when she told her to put the money back. A quick rewind kept Chloe from remembering that disappointment, but Max would always have that memory. It was always difficult for her to say no to the incorrigible Ms. Price.

The photography student blushed and looked away as Chloe stripped off her clothes and tossed them into her pile of dirty laundry. She scratched idly at her skin and then jerked her thumb towards the door. "Gunna go rinse this chlorine off... the last thing I wanna do is get my bed smelling like it." The punk grinned confidently as she noticed her friend's bashful blush. "I'm sure we can both squeeze in there, if you can keep from fainting." She stated in a flirtatious tone.

Max's blush deepened as she fiddled with her camera, pretending not to quite pick up on the implications of the offer. "I'll... catch the next one." She responded shyly.

"Big surprise." Chloe teased her. She knew that was more than likely suggesting more than the girl was ready for, but she couldn't help it. She ducked out of her room and into the bathroom and turned the shower on to heat it up as she looked at herself in the mirror, giving herself a confident smile and finger-guns a moment later and then stepped into the hot stream of water and sighed as it washed away all the sticky smelly chlorine.

Chloe couldn't help but wonder what kinds of things she might have missed due to Max's rewind power. Had she made a move on someone and then zipped back in time? Hell, she might have even made a move on Chloe herself. Probably not... she doubted Max would have the guts to try it without some goading. If the opportunity presented itself though, she would take it. Even though a part of her still held some anger over Max not keeping in touch over the past few years, she had mostly forgiven her friend... and she'd be lying if she said she weren't still carrying a torch for her. Rachel had been a force of nature... but even she couldn't compare to Max. But most likely the shy little photography hipster had the hots for that "Warren" nerd. Jealousy... that was a new sensation.

The blue-haired punk stepped out of the shower and wrapped herself in her pirate towel and hurried back to her bedroom, leaving the shower running for Max. "All yours, Mighty Max." She said as she walked over to her dresser to get a fresh pair of underwear so as to not embarrass Max too much.

Max had already pulled her chlorine soaked clothing off, all except for her undies. She retrieved an old towel that had been hers when she was younger and smiled, seeing it was still where she had left it. Good ol' Chloe, not throwing anything out that still had memories attached. As the hipster was rinsing the chlorine off, she became lost in thought, her musings turning as they tended to do these past few days to the blue-haired ball of angst in the other room. Chloe gave no fucks... Max smiled and blushed at the memory of the girl stripping down completely without a care in the world. She wasn't sure if she would ever be able to do that... but Chloe always did bring out Max's more adventurous side, usually after a bit of prodding and that damned carefree and mischievous smile of hers. How she loved that smile.

She turned the shower off and wrapped herself in a towel and padded back over to Chloe's bedroom as quickly as she could and then realized she was in a conundrum... her bra and panties had been even more chlorine soaked than her clothes considering she swam in them. It was no problem for the other girl, she had already put on a fresh pair. She contemplated it for a few moments before Chloe spoke up. "You can always sleep bare-assed, hippie." The other girl teased. She chuckled at the glare Max gave her and then gestured to one of her drawers. "Got some old undies in there and some of Rachel's... one of em's bound to fit your bony little ass."

Max wasted no time in digging through the drawer and was happy to find a few pairs that were her size so she tucked them into one corner for future use and pulled out one pair to quickly don, her face burning even though she didn't drop the towel until her panties were on and didn't turn to face Chloe until the bra was clasped. Why was she so embarrassed? They had changed in front of each other countless times growing up. Though... that was then. It had been years since those simpler more innocent times.

The photographer hopped into the bed and got comfortable as Chloe smoked one last cigarette, her hand behind her head and the ashtray on her stomach as she stared up at the ceiling, watching the smoke drift up and towards the cracked window. Both girls were quiet, lost in thought. Max smiled as she looked over at Chloe, watching her smoke. Normally it bothered her to be near someone smoking, but somehow it didn't with Chloe. She associated the smell with her friend now... that unique mix of cigarette smoke, a faint touch of weed, a bit of engine oil and old leather... at least when she wasn't freshly showered. She liked both blends of scents, they brought her an odd sense of comfort. 

Impulsively, she grabbed her camera and framed the both of them in it as she leaned her head back against Chloe's shoulder and smiled as she took a picture. She set the camera down and looked at the picture for a few moments and then grabbed one of Chloe's sharpies and wrote on the back of the photo a quick message commemorating their shared adventure. She looked at the picture for a few moments more and then set it down by her camera, intending to add it to her collection in the morning.

Max thought back to Chloe's words in the pool, when she had said she wasn't so chickenshit anymore... that she was becoming a force of nature. She didn't feel that way... in fact, she felt terrified most of the time, especially after her powers failed her when trying to rescue Kate. She had gotten lucky there... but she wasn't exactly proud of how she had done it. A mix of guilt-tripping the girl by letting her know what and who she would be leaving behind and empty promises about the future had pulled the depressed girl off the ledge... but the important thing was that she was still alive, right? And what if her powers failed again? What if someone she cared about died and she couldn't save them? What if... what if Chloe died... again?

The thought disturbed her and she couldn't help but snuggle in closer to the blue-haired girl, pressing her forehead against the other girl's shoulder. If Chloe was bothered by it or thought it was odd, she gave no indication of it. Now there was someone who was really fearless. The most recent example being when she had tossed her clothes off without a care in the world... no fucks given. Or when the shark had dragged the bashful otter to the pool to begin with... or countless other examples. Sure, there was plenty of mischief in her adventurous spirit, but that was just Chloe.

Besides rewinding to steer conversations in a favorable fashion and saving some lives, what had Max really done with her powers? Chloe had playfully suggested she could hook up with someone, no strings attached after a quick rewind, but that wasn't really her style. Maybe her powers were wasted on a shy little photography nerd like her? But she could take a few more chances... when they were worth taking.

Max watched silently as Chloe stamped her cigarette out and set the tray back down on the floor as the moonlight filtered into the room, casting it in a silvery glow. The other girl's beauty took her breath away... could she ever tell Chloe that? Why not? Couldn't she just rewind if it went badly? Why was she such a coward? Why couldn't she just... take a chance?

The brown-haired girl took a deep breath and decided 'Fuck it' and moved in closer to Chloe, brushing her nose gently against the other girl's cheek. She draped an arm over the punk's stomach and pressed her body against her friend's. Anxiety rose up within her as she waited to see what the older girl's reaction was and her fears were mostly quelled when Chloe draped her arm around Max's slender shoulders and pulled her in closer.

Max wondered what was going through Chloe's mind. Did she find her friend's behavior odd, or was it the furthest thing from her mind? Perhaps she was focused on other things... Rachel related, no doubt. That was the number one thing giving her hesitation... she felt a bit like she was the 'other woman' when it came to Chloe Price and Rachel Amber. What if they found Rachel and she was in Los Angeles, building up the nerve to call Chloe and tell her why she couldn't wait for her? Or worse, she was locked up in Nathan Prescott's basement, waiting for Chloe to valiantly rescue her? Worry and fear knotted up in Max's belly as she wondered if her affections for the blue-haired girl were one-sided. Would she always come in second, where Rachel was concerned?

She tried to put those thoughts out of her head and focus on the here and now. What happened to taking chances, Max? She could always rewind... just do it, Max. Go for it. Just fucking do it, for crying out loud. Max summoned up her courage and pressed her lips against Chloe's cheek, planting a few butterfly kisses along her jaw line leading towards her lips. She paused there, the tension inside her nearly overwhelming. Chloe remained still and for a few moments it seemed like she had drifted off to sleep, but then her head turned just a bit and she was looking at Max. She wasn't saying anything and her expression gave nothing away either... she was just... looking at her. Waiting, perhaps.

Max looked back at her, her hands shaking slightly in nervous tension. Why wasn't Chloe saying anything? Mocking her, or encouraging her, or even just questioning what had gotten into her? She needed a reaction... to know whether she should rewind and file this as a failed experiment. But she got nothing... just... a silent stare. Shit. Summoning up her courage again, Max went for it once more, leaning in slowly and pressing her lips gently against Chloe's in an inexperienced yet tender kiss. She held it as long as she dared and then backed away slowly to gauge her friend's reaction.

Chloe blinked a few times, surprise shining in her eyes. She didn't seem repulsed or angry... but she was taking her sweet time in giving a real reaction. Max was starting to panic and her hand rose up a few times as she contemplated rewinding, undoing those foolish kisses... but she had to know what Chloe's reaction was and the wait was killing her.

After what seemed like an eternity, a smile cracked on the punk's lips. "Damn, you're hardcore, Max! Now I'm going to text Warren and let him know he doesn't stand a chance." Chloe teased her.

Max felt relief flood through her and she shook her head slightly. "I thought you were freaking out. You took forever to say anything!" The photographer chided her friend.

Chloe chuckled and brought her hand up to ruffle Max's hair a bit. "I was expecting you to rewind... but you didn't. Plus you kind of took me by surprise... fearless Max strikes again!"

The photographer frowned a bit as she studied the mischievous glint in Chloe's eyes, illuminated by the pale moonlight. After a few moments of consideration she spoke in an accusing tone. "You were trying to wait out my rewind, weren't you? So I couldn't undo it, even if I wanted to?"

Chloe chuckled and grazed her fingertips over Max's soft back as she shrugged. "Can't blame a girl for trying, MadMax. And It seems like my evil plan succeeded... unless you're going to rewind all of this." The punk raised an eyebrow in challenge.

Max hesitated, unsure of what to do. "Are... are you going to freak out on me later? I mean... did I totally screw up here? I need to know, before I can't undo it."

Chloe raised an eyebrow as she looked back at Max, silent for a few moments before asking a question of her own. "Do you WANT to undo it? A better question... what do you REALLY want to do?"

The anxiety returned as Max contemplated that question. Why couldn't Chloe just tell her what to do instead of purposely making it so mysterious? "Please, Chloe... I need to know. Did I screw up? Should I rewind this? I need to know now..."

"And I need to know what you really want before I can answer that. Are you just screwing with my emotions here, Max? Is this just you playing with your powers, or what?" The blue-haired girl inquired, her voice becoming slightly agitated as the aggression inside her rose in response to her vulnerability.

"Aaah, damn it Chloe." Max groaned, unsure of what to do. She felt like panicking and rewinding while she could but something was making her hesitate. That damned curiosity of hers. She needed to know. "Fuck it..." She muttered and kissed Chloe again, a little more forcefully this time, clumsy in execution but still kind of sweet. "Was that... was that okay?" The photographer inquired, waiting anxiously for her friend's response.

Chloe was silent for a few moments before suddenly rolling Max onto her back and straddling her waist. She gazed down into her friend's eyes and bit her own lip lightly. After a tense pause, she leaned her head down and claimed Max's lips in a more experienced kiss... demanding, but sweet... just like Chloe herself. The blue-haired girl pulled away after a few moments to look down at Max, gauging her reaction this time. "Is this what you want?" She inquired, her voice a bit husky in the desire she had repressed for so long. Was this actually happening?

A crinkle formed on the bridge of Max's nose as she looked up into Chloe's intense eyes. She knew how she wanted to respond... but should she? "What about Rachel?" The brown-haired girl inquired, hesitant to answer.

"Damn it, Max... just answer the fucking question." The punk hissed in a harsh whisper, leaning her head down lower so her hot breath tickled the photographer's lips.

Max felt a tear drip down from her eye and she felt choked up by emotion. Did she dare? Was she ready to take this chance? "I..." She hesitated, her eyes darting back and forth as she focused on each of Chloe's eyes in turn as she thought about what to say... what she wanted. Finally she settled for lifting her head up and kissing Chloe... a simple gentle yet yearning smooch, innocent and curious... just like Max herself.

The blue-haired punk returned the kiss with a wolf-like hunger as she gently pinned Max's hands above her head, claiming total control. She slipped her tongue into the human time machine's mouth and coaxed Max's tongue up and out and gave her a gentle nibble before suckling on it. She felt the brown-haired girl's body wriggling against her and she gave the girl a soft mmm sound in response. So eager, the younger girl was. Chloe liked that.

Chloe kissed her way down Max's cheek and bit her earlobe gently and whispered into her ear. "I'm going to take you, Max. I'm going to make you mine forever... do you hear me?"

Despite the blood rushing through her veins, the photographer did indeed hear her. "Yes..." She rasped out, her cheeks flushing with passion. She was much more comfortable now that Chloe was taking charge... she couldn't second-guess things so easily that way.

"Mmm... good." Chloe murmured and bit gently on Max's neck and then kissed down to her collarbone, giving that a gentle bite as well before coming back up to her lips to surprise the other girl with an intense toe-curling kiss. "You don't know how long I've waited to do this..." Chloe whispered so softly, Max nearly missed it. She squeezed Max's wrists gently and then spoke a bit louder this time. "Keep them here... unless I say. Okay?"

Max gazed up at Chloe, her cheeks flushed and her eyes darkened with passion. Her... hands? "What? Chloe, I'm not sure what..."

"I said... okay?" The punk stated firmly, pressing down on Max's hands to reiterate her point.

"I..." Max swallowed audibly and then nodded. "Yes... okay."

"Mmm... good girl." Chloe responded, pulling her hands away and giving the other girl an impish smile as she saw she complied to the request... nay, the order. She raised her body up and brushed her fingertips lightly over Max's slender body, down her arms, trailing over her sides, and then up along her ribs. The punk smiled confidently as she paused there and then reached underneath the other girl, finding the bra clasp and undoing it expertly and then pulled the garment away and dropped it beside the bed.

She let her eyes roam over Max's breasts for a few moments before leaning down to let her hot breath tickle the other girl's nipples. The photographer made a soft whimpering sound and shifted, arching her back to raise her chest up as her arms starting to move before she forced them to stay still when she saw the disappointment starting to show on her friend's face. Chloe paused for a moment and then nodded in satisfaction when she saw that Max was staying true to her word, keeping her arms up and out of the way... leaving her vulnerable.

Chloe tenderly licked Max's soft belly, slowly dragging her tongue upwards as her eyes remained fixed on the other girl's, watching as the photographer's breath caught in her throat and then quickened, anticipation growing as the punk neared her target. She went straight for the left nipple in her path of licking, dragging her tongue up and over the taut little nub and then the tip of her tongue flickered over it for a moment before she caught it tenderly between her teeth, giving it a gentle bite. Max murmured Chloe's name softly, need in her voice... but the blue-haired vixen had barely begun.

Chloe ran her lips over to Max's right breast and gently licked the underside of her small tender breast and gave it a gentle bite this time before latching her lips securely around the girl's right nipple. The older girl made a soft mmm sound as she suckled and nibbled on the little nub and then pulled away, dragging the nipple outwards by the suction of her lips before letting it go to snap back into place. The blue-haired girl started kissing and nibbling slowly downwards, enjoying how the other girl squirmed around.

"Chloe... please..." Max whimpered softly as she writhed around. She didn't know why she was so damned turned on... except that it was Chloe doing these things to her. Playing her body like an instrument.

Chloe chuckled and bit gently on the photographer's tender tummy and then blew softly on it, watching the girl's stomach muscles ripple as she quivered in anticipation. "Hey... you made me wait five years with barely a call or text... you can wait a bit while I have my fun." The punk teased with a chuckle, kissing Max's stomach tenderly as she hooked her fingers under the waist band of the girl's panties and slowly pulling them down as she kissed lower.

Soon enough Max's girlish center became visible... light brown curls that adorned the cutest little slit that Chloe had ever seen. It looked even better than Chloe could have imagined. It didn't look like the photographer had trimmed or shaved it, but it just hadn't grown in very thick. It was understated... dainty. A bit shy even. Typical, even her pussy would be pure Max. She blew her breath gently against it, watching the girl's silky pubic hairs flutter and then oddly the position of Max's hips shifted without seeming to move. Most would not notice it, or chalk it up to a trick of the light or something had they seen it, but Chloe had enough experience with the phenomenon to catch it occasionally. "You just rewound, didn't you?" Chloe stated accusingly.

"Shit... sorry. I got antsy and um... I accidentally hit you with my knee. I'm so sorry!" Max whispered, covering her mouth with her hand as she looked down at the blue-haired girl.

Chloe chuckled and shook her head. "Typical Max." She teased and put her arms gently over the brown-haired girl's legs to both hold them down and widen them. She leaned in closer towards the other girl's tender lower lips and then suddenly turned her head slightly to gently bite at the girl's inner thigh.

A flutter passed through Max's body and a sharp gasp escaped her lips. "Oh! That was... weird." The brunette stated. It was an odd sensation. Not something one would call an orgasm, more like a release of tension. A rush of adrenaline and a flutter up her spine.

Chloe paused and looked up at Max, raising an eyebrow inquisitively. "Good weird, or bad weird?"

"Good. Don't worry, I'll tell you if something is bad. I'm in your capable hands, Chloe Price." Max stated with a giddy chuckle.

"Damned right you are, Max Caulfield." Chloe responded and kissed the girl's inner thigh where she had previously bitten. She leaned in closer and nuzzled her face into Max's lower lips and then grazed her tongue between them, a soft mmm sound escaping her lips at the taste of her. Better than she imagined. She couldn't help but slip her tongue inside the girl and taste her more fully, eliciting a jump and a quiver from the brunette. 

After a few moments she reluctantly pulled away and kissed her way slowly back up the girl's body, ignoring the whine of need from her. She wanted to make the girl cum... but as much as she wanted to do it with her mouth, she wanted to see that first orgasm on Max's cute freckled face more. This called for a more hand's on approach.

"Ssh... I've got you, girlfriend." Chloe murmured, brushing her fingertips slowly down Max's body with feather-light strokes, leaving trails of goosebumps. She leaned over to press their lips together and kissed her tenderly while gently stroking the other girl's smooth belly. 

The photographer was squirming around with need and she gave the punk a pretty little pout after their lips parted. "Chloe..." Max whispered, impatience in her tone.

Chloe let out a soft sultry chuckle and decided to have mercy on the poor girl, dragging those soft fingers slowly downwards, biting her lip gently just as her fingertips made contact with the time traveler's downy nether-hair. "You're mine now... say it." The punk demanded gently, narrowly missing the other girl's lower lips with the tips over her fingers and brushing them over her inner thigh instead.

"I've always been yours, Chloe. Only yours." Max whispered, a loving smile on her lips.

"Mmm... Max..." Chloe murmured as she gave the other girl a passionate kiss, slipping her fingers into her and moving with her as their bodies writhed around and entangled. The blue-haired girl was licking and biting on the photographer's neck when she realized she was grinding herself against Max's leg and hip and that gave her an idea. She pulled herself away from Max and chuckled at the whine the girl gave her and touched a finger to the girl's lips to hush her, and also give her a taste of her own honey.

Max fixed her eyes on Chloe's and watched eagerly as the punk pulled her own underwear off and dropped it down by her ashtray. Her hands moved with a mind of their own, reaching out for her lover, but Chloe simply shook her head and pressed Max's hands back down above her head. "Behave." She admonished her gently with a teasing smile plastered on her lips. "Maybe next time I'll have some handcuffs."

The brunette blushed and smiled shyly, more at the mention of future love-makings than the subject of handcuffs. "Whatever you like, Chloe." Max murmured softly.

Chloe smiled and went back to what she was doing before, tenderly manipulating Max's heated depths as she kissed, licked and gently bit wherever her fancy guided her, but she was also grinding herself against the brunette. The contact was skin on skin now and though it wasn't quite as good as a hand or tongue, she was getting off on being in control so she went with it.

"I love you, Chloe..." Max whispered softly as her body wriggled against her lover's, her skin tingling all over as the sensations overwhelmed her.

The blue-haired girl chuckled and brushed her thumb tenderly over Max's clitoris. "Say that when I'm not hand's deep inside you, Max." Chloe teased her gently.

Max's eyes narrowed slightly and she fixed her passion-darkened eyes on her dear friend's. "I'm serious. I've always loved you. Will always. You know that, don't you?"

Chloe gently bit the tip of Max's nose and smirked down at her. "I know, I'm just fucking with you... while I fuck you. I love you too, hippie. Now hush up, I'm trying to impress you with my mad skills here."

Max chuckled as her hips rocked against the punk's nimble fingers. "Oh, you don't have to impress me, Chloe Price... mmm... but you certainly are." She could feel the tension growing in her belly... she didn't have a lot of experience with sex stuff, but she knew enough to know it was an orgasm approaching. "Getting close, Chloe..." She whined softly.

"I know, Max. Leave it in my capable hands." Chloe whispered, slowly guiding the other girl up towards the peak of ecstasy as she wriggled her own hips against Max's with increasing speed and force. If she timed this right, they could get off at the same time.

"Chloe..." Max whispered with need, lowering her hands without thinking about it to pull the girl closer.

Chloe considered pinning the girl's hands above her head and keeping them there... but she'd give her this one. She could see that Max needed to hold her right now. "It's ok, baby... I've got you. We're setting sail together... always together." She whispered, brushing the fingers of her free hand gently through Max's hair to push the sweat-soaked strands away from her face.

"Always..." Max agreed, a moment later letting out a squeak as the tension snapped inside her and she tumbled over the peak of ecstasy into the abyss of bliss. "Chloeeeeee" The brunette gasped.

"I'm here... fuck...." Chloe grunted as she climaxed as well, a few tense moments after Max. The enraptured expression on the girl's face had been enough to push her over the edge. She wished she had thought to grab Max's camera so she could capture that moment on film, but she definitely captured it in her mind's eye.

They quivered and gasped together and then giggled as the post orgasmic giddiness settled over them. Chloe was lying on her back again, smoking another cigarette as Max snuggled up to her. She couldn't believe she had the guts to go for it, to take this chance... and it had paid off better than she expected.

They were both quiet, Max just listening to Chloe puffing on that cigarette, hearing the paper burning as she inhaled, smelling the smoke tickling her nose. She didn't care... it was pure Chloe and she would have been surprised if the girl didn't smoke after sex. 

The cigarette was stamped out and silence fell over them both, save for their soft breathing. Max turned her gaze up from Chloe's shoulder to look at her face, expecting to see her eyes closed, but instead she found them open. She was looking at something. The photographer followed the girl's line of sight and spotted the photo booth pictures that Chloe and Rachel had taken together. That... was a bit awkward.

"Chloe? Are you... ok?" Max inquired nervously.

Chloe's eyes shifted so that she was looking at Max now. The look on her face was unreadable, especially in the dim moonlight streaming in through the window. "Yeah, I'm just thinking."

The photographer glanced over at the photos of Chloe and Rachel and had a feeling she knew what was on the girl's mind. "You're thinking about Rachel."

"Shit Max... I'm sorry. This was great, don't get me wrong. I just..." Chloe fell off into silence, trying to figure out how to articulate her thoughts.

Max's eyes closed. She knew what Chloe was thinking... she could tell by the tone of her voice, even if she couldn't read it on her face. "You're regretting what we did. Because of Rachel." She had expected her tone to be bitter, maybe even a bit angry... but it was just sad.

"No... well... yes. Yes and no. Shit, Max... I don't know." Chloe huffed, not quite sure what was going on in her own head. She knew she felt bad, but she wasn't quite sure what the cause was.

"This seemed so perfect... I guess it was too good to be true." Max stated sadly, pulling away from the blue-haired girl as she felt her stomach tightening. How had she fucked things up so quickly?

"It was! Max, I don't regret what we did. I've wanted to spend my whole life with you for... well my whole life. You know that. I wanted you before I even knew what wanting you meant. This was wonderful... don't get me wrong." Chloe stated in a huff, frustrated by her own emotions.

The brunette leaned up on her elbow and looked at the other girl's face, seeing the conflict there. She didn't want to cause Chloe this pain, but what could she do about it? "Tell me what's on your mind. Just talk to me, Chloe."

The punk sighed and turned onto her side to face Max, reaching out to tenderly caress her cheek. "I've wanted this forever, Max. It's just... the timing sucked. We don't know what happened to Rachel yet and that's making me feel guilty."

The photographer frowned thoughtfully as she pondered that. "Well... shit, Chloe. I guess we did rush things a bit. I couldn't help it, you were just so..."

"I know, Max. This is my fault, not yours. You just kissed me and I pounced. I've waited so long for you to make a move... don't blame yourself." Chloe assured her. She was quiet for a few moments and then guilt intensified on her face. "Um... I hate to ask this but... can you still rewind this?"

Max was shocked at the question. Regretting the timing was one thing, but to want to undo it completely? "Are you cereal?" She asked incredulously.

Chloe sighed. "Shit... no. Well... yes. I don't know. Just tell me, can you?"

The photographer shook her head sadly. "Chloe... no. It's been too long. I can probably only rewind to the start of this conversation. Do you really want to undo this? This was my first time. Hell, it was my first _kiss_ , Chloe!"

"Shit... I didn't think about that." Chloe blinked in surprise. She felt shitty for asking for a rewind, especially after being told that. "Well first times usually kind of suck somehow, I guess me ruining it by freaking out on you is how yours got messed up."

Max rolled her eyes and pressed herself against the blue-haired girl, embracing her. "Shut up. Did you mean what you said earlier? I'm yours, right? And you're mine?"

Chloe nodded, entwining her arms around Max. "Damned straight. You've got me, fucked up freak outs and all, hippie."

"Then that's all that matters. Perfection doesn't exist, Chloe. Trust me, I've tampered with time enough to know there's no perfect thing you can do or say... except for whatever you're feeling, good or bad. I want to share it all with you. There's no perfect time either. We'll find Rachel. I know we will. And we'll all have a laugh over this... I hope." Max stated with a wry smile.

The blue-haired girl chuckled and rolled back over onto her back, keeping Max close with the arm still draped around her. "Ok, enough... you've convinced me. Better or worse then, we've got each other."

Max smiled and snuggled in closer, glancing over at the photos of Rachel for a moment. She knew they'd find her and she had faith that things would work out, somehow. If Chloe and Rachel got back together, she'd be happy for her friend... in the end, she wanted what was best for her. She was holding out hope that Rachel had found someone and they'd all just be the best of friends, Chloe and Max together with Rachel and... whomever. But... there were no perfect endings. Just the ones you could live with.

A while later, Max heard the slow even breathing signifying that Chloe had fallen asleep. she pulled away slightly, reaching down to the floor to retrieve the photo she had taken earlier and took another look at the message she had written on the back. "To P.M. Just kiss her. Luv, F.M." It had taken her a few moments to realize that wasn't the message she had intended to write... and that it was somehow Future Max talking to Past Max, though she wasn't aware yet of how that message had been sent. She had truly thought she made a mistake following this advice... but it had worked out. This... this was an ending she could live with. She tore the photo and let the pieces drop to the floor and then snuggled back up to Chloe, falling asleep moments later.


	2. Distraction and comfort, and then... what just happened?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Part 2 of the prologue. Max and Chloe are hiding out in Chloe's room as the authorities go after Mr. Jefferson. Chloe is antsy though... and then at the end... well you'll see.

Max Caulfield sat on the bed of Chloe Price, letting her mind wander to everything she had been through this past week. Week? It felt more like a year. They had finally found Rachel Amber... or rather her buried body, and then they had gone after Nathan Prescott. And then shit got really weird... Mark Jefferson had been behind it all. He had killed Chloe and drugged Max and she went through hell and back to save Chloe. Luckily for her, she didn't remember those events first hand... not yet. Not until her timelines caught up to each other. But she had apparently related the events to Chloe and then she had in turn relayed them back to Max.

It was weird to think that her future self could inhabit her past self and then change something... without her even being aware of what until her timelines caught up to each other. She looked over at Chloe, watching her pacing around, clearly agitated. She couldn't really blame the girl, she had been ready to beat the snot out of Nathan... possibly even killing him, but now instead they were hiding out in her room while David and the police investigated the Dark Room and arrested Mr. Jefferson. They were doing this to keep Chloe safe, but that didn't mean the punk girl had to be happy about sitting on her ass while everyone else handled things. Chloe was a girl of action, not of sitting and waiting.

Max's gaze shifted over to the pillows of the bed she was sitting on. There was another timeline she hadn't quite caught up to yet... at some point in the future, she had gone back to give herself a message to kiss Chloe. It must have been quite a regret for not having done so that made her go to all that trouble... but it had resulted in one of the best nights of her life, even with the punk girl's freak out afterwards. All due to guilt about Rachel... poor Rachel. There were so many emotions rolling through her head, she couldn't even keep track of them all. Relief, guilt, nervousness, fear, love, worry. It was obvious the same was happening with Chloe.

"Chloe! Stop pacing around... you'll wear a hole in the floor." Max chided the blue-haired girl as gently as she could.

Chloe started gesturing around as she talked at a rapid, emotion-filled clip. "What are we doing here? Just sitting on our asses? While everyone else takes care of things? While we rely on fucking Step-douche?! It's cool he saved you and all, but that doesn't make him less of a dick. I need to DO something, Max!"

The photographer sighed and looked around the room. Surely something could keep them occupied until the danger passed. "Do you want to play... dress-up? We could put on the pirate stuff. Yar! Captain Bluebeard and Long Max Silver set sail again!"

Chloe looked at Max like she was crazy. "Are you fucking serious? No, I don't want to play fucking pirates! This isn't the fucking time for kid games."

"Sorry!" The brunette replied quickly. "Well do you want to-"

"Get off my ass, Max! Give it a rest." The punk exclaimed, throwing her hands up in exasperation.

Max winced and raised her hand to rewind time back to before she had suggested anything. Should she try again with something else? She tried a few other suggestions with similar results, talking, smoking, dancing... all resulted in anger. "How about... some music?"

Chloe glared at her for a moment and then turned the stereo on, thrasher music started filling the room. A moment later Chloe was kicking the shit out the stuff in her room. A bit too much excitement, it seemed, resulting in her blowing off steam and taking it out on her poor possessions. Max considered letting this stand, but she knew the girl would feel guilty about some of the stuff she trashed later on so she rewound again.

Music seemed like a good idea but maybe something more... chill. The brunette got up and walked over to the stereo and popped the current disc out and switched it to something a bit more relaxing. "What the fuck are you doing? Stop messing with my shit, Max!" Chloe growled aggressively.

Max sighed and rewound time again as she moved back over to where she was before. Once time was reset, she made the music suggestion again. The soothing music came on and Chloe paused. "Fuck this shit, I'm switching it to something else." The blue-haired girl reached for the disc eject button.

"No! Leave it... trust me. Glowy Bear suffered your wrath when you had the thrasher music on." Max informed her, hoping she wouldn't be upset about the rewind assisted music switch.

Chloe spun to glare at her for a moment and then looked over at the Glowy Bear. "Well... shit. All right. Thanks." She muttered, even looking a bit embarrassed for a moment. She started to pace again but the music was soothing her nerves a bit so she stopped and just listened for a few minutes. Abruptly she turned to look at Max. "Do you wanna bang one out?"

Max was taken aback by the question, both the wording and what it meant. "Wh.. what?"

Chloe stalked towards her, smirking slightly as the brunette edged backwards nervously, her eyes wide like a deer caught in the headlights. "I said... do you want to bang one out. Come on! I've got all this nervous tension I gotta work off."

"I... I'm not sure about the timing. You're upset... and even though I don't remember it happening yet, I know I just went through hell. Is this really what you want?" Max inquired uncertainly.

The blue-haired girl smirked and started reaching for the zipper of her jeans. "What do you think, hippie?"

The brunette bit her lip gently as she considered what to do. She could almost imagine big floaty choices above her head and wondered what they'd read. 'Bang one out with Chloe' vs 'Don't bang'? Or maybe 'Try something else, Max!' No... more like 'Suggest something else'. Yeah... that was probably it. This wasn't a game though... so she'd better decide quickly or she'd have to rewind just to keep Chloe from getting impatient. "I'm not against... uh... doing that, but... come here, I've got another idea. If you don't like it, we can always... you know." Max suggested, holding out her hand for Chloe to take.

The punk rolled her eyes. "Typical, can't even say it. I'll tell you what, shy mouse. You say flat out what we'll do if your idea doesn't work out... and I'll accept your proposal. We can try it your way. Deal?" She smirked in challenge, expecting Max to just blush and try to change the subject.

She was blushing but perhaps this week had given her a little more courage to speak up, to not be such a demure little doe all the time. But... baby steps. "All right... if it doesn't work, we'll... you know... make love." She stated shyly, glancing down at the floor.

"Aw come on, you'll have to do better than that, SuperMax! Talk dirty to me." Chloe suggested with a devious grin on her lips.

"Chloe!" Max huffed in exasperation, rolling her eyes and then peering up at her girlfriend. She could see the girl wasn't going to let it lie though. "Fine... we can... 'bang one out', as you said." The brunette stated, her face flushing in embarrassment as she rolled her eyes at the phrasing.

The punk girl chuckled and leaned in closer, delighting in watching the shy little otter shrinking back. "Those are _my_ words though. Use your own. Now."

The photographer squirmed underneath the other girl's intense stare. How could she feel this uncomfortable... yet somehow like it? It was a weird feeling. That was one of the things that had always attracted her to Chloe though... how she brought the shy photography nerd out of her comfort zone and challenged her. "If my way doesn't work out, I'll fuck you instead." She stated as boldly as she could. She had meant to just say "We can fuck" or "You can fuck me" but somehow she thought that her wording would have a bigger impact. It was bold... way bolder than even she had expected of herself.

"Wow... nice! You totally rocked that dirty talk, Spider-Max!" Chloe exclaimed, clearly impressed. A deal was a deal, even if she was really turned on now, though. "All right... so what's your idea?"

Though she was still blushing, she held her hand out for Chloe to take and gently pulled her down to the bed. She could see the confusion on the punk's face, but rather than going for something sexy, she pulled her into a cuddle instead. There was nothing she liked more than being in Chloe's arms... she felt like it was where she belonged. She was so glad she had taken that chance... had initiated that kiss. That must have been why she had done it. She wouldn't really know until she caught up to when she had gone back in time, but she could certainly appreciate the results.

"What... are we doing?" Chloe asked uncertainly.

"Just... chill for a bit, ok? We've both been through a lot. Let's just... appreciate each other for a while, all right?" Max requested.

"I'd appreciate you more if we were naked." The punk stated brazenly with a chuckle.

The brunette sighed and rolled her eyes. "You're incorrigable. Baby steps, ok?" She rested her head against the blue-haired girl's chest, listening to the soothing sound of her lover's heartbeat and breathing. After watching her die multiple times, it was the sweetest music she could imagine.

"This is your show here, Max... but could we at least kiss or something? I like holding you and all but... nervous tension, remember?" Chloe suggested a bit impatiently.

The photographer chuckled and shifted so that her lips were approaching her lover's. "We can _totally_ kiss." She agreed. Max pressed their lips together and tenderly kissed Chloe, gently tangling her fingers into the girl's blue dyed hair.

Chloe made a soft mmm sound and wrapped her arms tightly around her hipster girlfriend, one hand tangling in her mousy brown hair and the other trailing down her back and straight towards her pert little butt. The punk chuckled when she pinched the other girl's ass and then relaxed her by just squeezing and fondling it gently, drawing out a sighed murmur from the brunette.

When Max's lips moved to Chloe's neck with some affectionate nuzzles and smooches, the blue-haired girl couldn't help but comment. "Max, you're not making me want to bang any less, you know..." She murmured in a teasing tone.

Max giggled softly. "Shut up. I'm trying to be affectionate here. I've lost count of how many times I've saved your life... can't you let me show you some appreciation?"

The punk girl sighed and rolled her eyes, though it didn't stop her from smiling. "Fine, fine. It wouldn't kill you to kiss a little lower though..."

"You are so _bossy_." The photographer teased right back, trailing her fingertips under Chloe's top to caress her stomach. "This is my show, remember? You said so yourself."

"May I remind you, nervous tension?" The blue-haired girl joked, eliciting an eye roll from the other girl. "So I keep dying on ya, huh?" She inquired in a thoughtful tone, trying to focus on something besides taking charge and burning off some excess energy by making the other girl squeal.

"I seriously don't know how you ever survived without me. You're like a danger magnet. You even managed to shoot yourself in the junkyard. Now seriously, calm down. You've been through a lot... I know your emotions are going haywire. I'm trying to center you here... and show you how much I care." Max stated as patiently as she could.

Chloe sighed and tried to remain still. She greatly preferred to be the one teasing... not the one being teased. She appreciated the effort and under other circumstances, she'd probably enjoy letting the hipster have her fun, but even with the soothing music and the tender caresses, she was still antsy as hell. "Max... seriously... this isn't working for me. Not in the mood I'm in. I'm trying, really... but..."

"Patience. I'm going to take care of you. I just wanted to be close to you for a while longer... but I can see you're not calming down as much as I thought you would so... I'll hurry things along, ok? Just... let me do this my way." Max gave the other girl a serious look and waited until she received the go ahead and then she started lifting up Chloe's top, moving down so that she could kiss and lick the exposed skin as it presented itself. 

She was starting to move up higher, but she could feel the blue-haired girl's hand urging her downwards instead. The brunette paused for a few moments and looked up at the other girl with some exasperation on her pretty face, but she couldn't get upset about it. Chloe had just found the body of someone she loved... and rather then getting to do something about it, some future version of Max had insisted they hole up while everyone else handles things. She couldn't blame the girl for being anxious and impatient.

So Max had mercy on the girl, popping the button of her jeans and unzipping them and then slowly sliding them down while she nibbled and kissed the girl's taut stomach. Given how wound up she was, she thought it best to go ahead and draw down the girl's panties as well. She dropped the clothes down beside the bed and placed soft warm kisses along the girl's inner thigh, working up from just above her knee on upwards. She had wanted to spend a good hour slowly working towards this point... maybe someday. In the future they would have plenty of time to just be affectionate... cuddle and smooch and caress and just be close, just as expressions of love. She looked forward to those times.

Max had no problem with what they were doing now though. This was the first time she was getting such a close look at a girl's private parts... besides seeing herself occasionally in a bathroom mirror, or what she could see just by looking down, she wasn't that familiar with her own body... at least by looks. Touch... okay, she wasn't going to lie, a little more familiar with things that way. It was interesting to get this closer look at Chloe's body. She didn't know why, but she had half-expected the punk's pubic hair to be dyed blue as well... but instead it was its natural strawberry blonde color, a bit more blonde than strawberry, making the hair color blend in well with her skin. It was cute... and Max was staring. And she was also really wanting to take a picture...

"Uh... Max? Are you still in there?" Chloe inquired in an amused tone.

"Huh? Oh... sorry. I was just... mesmerized, I guess. You know I've got an eye for beauty." The photographer quipped, trying to cover for her embarrassment. She reached out slowly and grazed her fingers over the soft petals of her lower lips. So warm... so moist. She wanted to move in and make it her new home. She was such a dork.

Max heard Chloe's breath catch in her throat when she tenderly licked her, a slow sensual grazing of her tongue up the entire length of her slit. The heat... the taste... the smell... it was intoxicating. "Mmm..." She murmured, nuzzling her face gently between the other girl's legs and just daintily kissing and licking her.

"Oh... fuck... Max... that's good. Stop teasing me though..." Chloe muttered impatiently as her hips shifted around.

"Mmm... just for a little while? Please? You can take control when you can't stand it anymore..." Max offered, affectionately kissing and licking the girl's lower lips, her eyes half-closed as if entranced.

The punk sighed and propped her pillow up to more easily watch and then she reached down to tenderly stroke her fingers through Max's mousy brown hair. It was nice... and relaxing... and also sensual and exciting. It's not like she wasn't enjoying it, but maybe she'd like it more as a second go around. The other girl was obviously wanting to adore her like this for a while though, so she just tried to relax and enjoy it.

At first she thought she'd be too tense to really get into this, but the combination of soothing music and the tender ministrations were starting to get to her, so Chloe just went with it. Fuck it... let Mighty Max carry her slowly up to a climax... she was showing her affection... there was nothing wrong with that. The blue-haired girl murmured softly in appreciation when she felt the brunette's fingers link up with hers and they clasped hands as Max nuzzled her face between the other girl's legs. 

She was taking her time with slow sensual licks and kisses, occasionally slipping a finger deep into her with her free hand, or gently petting her pubic hair as she pressed her tongue in deeper. She kept alternating her movements so she kept things fresh. She gazed up into Chloe's stormy blue eyes, watching them slowly darken with growing passion. Max wanted to do this for an eternity... just worshipping at the alter of Chloe Price. Was that weird? She didn't care... she rewound time a number of times just to prolong this as long as she could, easing the other girl up the trail of ecstasy again and again and then rewinding time and doing it again with slightly different methods. She felt like the world was dissolving around them, it was just her and Chloe... and her tender devotion to her lover. Eventually she had to stop rewinding time though. It seemed like the right time... as Chloe had become more responsive this time around, possibly due to all the experience that Max had gained.

The music took a somber turn and Chloe's mind couldn't help but shift to Rachel. All the laughs and tears they had shared, the big plans and daring adventures... all dashed. Was it ok to mourn the loss of that, even while starting something amazing with someone who was her soul mate? Was it weird to feel happy and sad all at once? She couldn't contain all the emotions that were burning inside her, tangling up, twisting and writhing into a quivering ball of tension.

And then the tension broke in a massive flood of... everything. Joy, sorrow, exhiliration, the raw ache of loss. All the emotions she had pent up flooded freely. It wasn't just a physical release, but utterly emotional. "Max..." Chloe choked out as tears flowed freely and soaked into her pillow.

And Max was there, kissing the salty tears away and making soothing noises as she held her girlfriend close. The blue-haired girl sobbed openly, not fighting back all the emotions anymore... she couldn't, even if she tried. She didn't have to be brave or tough... not here. Not then. She could just grieve the loss of one love and forgive herself for revival of another.

"What... the fuck was that?" Chloe whispered after she finally started to calm down, becoming a bit numb after experiencing such raw emotion.

"It was... a release. I think you needed it badly... are you okay?" Max inquired, her eyes moist from spilt tears as well.

"I'm... yeah. I will be. Shit that was... intense. How did you do that?" The punk inquired, chucklng dryly.

"I've got mad skills." The brunette replied with a giggle.

"You do... respect, girlfriend." Chloe stated. After lying there snuggling for a while, she looked over at Max. "Are you... okay? I can..."

"I'm fine. This was about being close to you... it was all I needed. I love you, Chloe. More than you'll ever know." Max responded, her voice thick with emotion.

The blue-haired girl nodded, feeling a bit drowsy. "I get that... I love you too, hippie. You're..." She trailed off as she started drifting off to sleep.

The time traveler smiled and just stared at Chloe lovingly as she listened to the music and enjoyed the moment. After a while though, she heard the wind howling outside and the sounds of small objects banging into the house. "What the hell?" She slipped out of the bed and went to the window and peered out, her jaw dropping as the weather started getting downright wicked outside. "Shit!"

Chloe shot upright, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. "What? What's wrong?" She got up and looked out the window as well and her eyes widened as she saw how bad the weather was getting. "Oh fuck... the storm that you saw." She moved quickly, pulling on her clothes as she started to freak out.

"I didn't stop shit... the storm is still happening! This is all my fault." Max groaned, covering her mouth with her hand as she saw small animals getting picked up and flung through the air.

"What do we do, Max?" Chloe asked, looking at the other girl worriedly as the power in the house went out.

"Uh... the lighthouse! We'll be safe there. I don't know what else to do. I'll try to think of something... but we have to get out of here." Max stated quickly, hearing the roof starting to rattle and groan. Who knew how long it would last before getting torn off?

Without any better plan, they hurried out and jumped into Chloe's truck and sped off to the highway, fighting the winds and dodging the occasional tree limb or animal as they peeled down the road. Max tried to call various people to warn them... to try... something. But when she did connect to people, it was spotty and the line kept going out. She couldn't do anything but hope and pray for them.

"We're here, let's go!" Chloe grabbed Max's hand and they stumbled towards the lighthouse, shielding their faces with their free hands. They reached a calmer spot and paused for a moment to catch their breath, the blue-haired girl took a few steps ahead to gaze at the storm in wonder. It was heading straight for the town... but it looked like they, at least, were out of its path.

Max spaced out for a few moments and then suddenly looked around, a bit confused and then she charged forward and threw her arms around the blue-haired girl. "Oh, Chloe!"

Chloe smiled at the now familiar reaction and turned to face her dearest friend... her lover. "I see that the real Max is back... So, how was your time trip, dude?"

After gushing over Chloe for a bit and getting caught up on recent events, they started making their way up to the lighthouse, Chloe even having to drag a mostly unconscious Max along when she went full on zombie mode. She didn't know what was happening with the time warrior, but she was getting her skinny little ass up to safety no matter what.

Finally Max snapped out of it again... all the various versions of her seemed to be merging back to her all at once. All the memories of each timeline overlapping, multiple versions of the same events played out in different ways. It was nearly maddening, but she was able to keep it together and focus.

"Max? Max, can you hear me? Please, say something." Chloe pleaded, seeing signs of life in the other girl again.

"Chloe? I... I must have passed out... Sorry." Max responded, still disoriented by all the memories that had cascaded into her brain. She shook her head to clear it as Chloe worriedly told her to never do that again. It had been a nightmare. It wasn't just alternate memories, but all the worries and fears and... everything. Time seemed to have unraveled and stitched itself back together before things started settling and it was just... madness. Time travel was a kick in the pants, that much was for sure. But in the end, time had reordered itself, the tangles unraveling and all the alternate versions of Max became one.

They watched as the storm edged closer to the town, ready to swallow it up. Was this really because of her? "This is my storm. I caused this... I caused all of this! I changed fate and destiny so much that... I actually did alter the course of everything. And all I really created was death and destruction!" Max exclaimed, guilt crashing down on her and clenching at her heart and stomach.

Chloe grabbed a hold of Max and reassured her, telling her how amazing she was and talking about how her powers had helped them find Rachel. And then she paused, realizing there was only one way that all of this could be undone... and it tore her heart out to even suggest it. She pulled out the photo that had been taken at the start of it all... the butterfly. "Max, this is the only way." She offered herself up as a sacrifice... if Max went back to that moment and let her die... all of this would never have happened.

Max stared at the photo, knowing that her heart couldn't handle either scenario. But she had to make a choice. Suddenly she seemed to blank out again and then she looked around in confusion. "Fuck! Nothing changed!" She exclaimed, reaching into her pocket for a different photo, one that seemed like a lifetime ago... her head on Chloe's shoulder as the punk smoked a cigarette. The night they broke into Blackwell... and then raided the pool. The alternate memories flooded into her mind and her eyes closed, a bittersweet smile on her lips. Of course, she had already torn it. She had accomplished what she had set out to do, even though it didn't change their predicament. But at least it gave her sweeter memories.

"What the fuck just happened?" Chloe asked uncertainly, shifting around to look at Max from a different angle as she tried to figure out what was going on, anxiety from not knowing combined with the tension from the storm.

"I... changed something. I had a pretty big regret, that I hadn't been more bold with you. More... honest. You remember a few days ago, after the pool? In your room? Originally, I didn't have the courage to kiss you. I wanted to, but I was too chickenshit. I thought I would just piss you off, drive a wedge between us. But you dared me to kiss you the next morning. I did... but you kind of brushed it off, just teasing me like you always do. I didn't... you know. Pursue it. And I regretted that, so badly."

Chloe shook her head, confused. "What the fuck are you talking about? We totally banged. Are you saying we didn't? I am _so_ confused!"

Max shook her head, smiling in amusement. "Don't worry about it. I... regretted not taking a chance. I fixed it. I guess it was wishful thinking that it would change anything else... besides us."

The blue-haired girl gestured to the storm. "Well, hello! We still have a big fucking storm to deal with. Kissing or no kissing, Arcadia Bay is still doomed. You've gotta make a choice. It sucks... but if you want to save the town... you have to... you have to... fuck... don't make me say it again!" Chloe vehemently cried, choking up with emotion.

Max nodded and looked at the storm, the photo of the butterfly in her hands. She could feel Chloe's eyes on her, waiting to see what her decision would be, and not knowing which one she should hope for. The time traveler sighed, her head dropping as her decision was made. "I'm sorry."

Anxiety flared up in Chloe's heart. "Max?" She asked, wanting to know what the decision was. The brunette slipped the photo back into her pocket and then held her hand out. The punk took her hand hesitantly and followed her over to base of the lighthouse that was against the direction of the winds... some small amount of shelter. It was better than nothing. She sat down, pulling Chloe in next to her and just held her. "I love you, Chloe Price."

"I... I love you too, Max Caulfield." Chloe responded, still feeling puzzled. Was this her decision? "I'm confused, Max..."

"Ssh... just relax. Try... try not to think about what's happening. Just... concentrate on me, okay?" Max stated, squeezing tightly on her punk girlfriend, tears dripping from her eyes. They huddled up to one another like that, silent as the storm roared in the distance, the town starting to tear apart.

Chloe barely noticed when Max shifted slightly, pulling the polaroid out of her pocket and looking at it, her eyes filled with tears. "Forgive me... I'll always love you." Max whispered.

"Max?" Chloe questioned, unsure of what to make of what Max was saying and doing. And then the world went white.

Max was back in the bathroom, the photograph of the butterfly popping out of the camera. Her hands shook as she sat down where she was hiding, sobbing silently as her heart was killed a few feet away. She heard Chloe's gasp and the sound of her body hitting the floor, the gun clanging as it hit the tile a moment later and the sounds of Nathan freaking out. The brunette's hands shook as she tore the photograph she had just taken, and then time closed in around her and events shifted into a new reality.

Max's awareness reset and she was still crying. She hadn't used her powers... she hadn't saved the girl she loved. She had sacrificed everything... and she hated herself for it. She wished she had been the one to die. But something was wrong... what was that sound? She looked up and she was still sitting at the lighthouse... only now she was alone. The storm was still raging.

Max stood up and walked to where she could get a better view and her mouth dropped open in shock. It was still there... the storm. Even though she hadn't used her powers even once in this new timeline. How was that possible?! She had sacrificed Chloe for nothing, and now... she couldn't go back. What had she done?! "No! I don't understand! I didn't use my powers this time! I didn't! Why is the storm still there?!" She stared in horror as the storm started tearing apart the town. Chloe... 

Max's anguished wail was lost in the roar of the storm and her power exploded outwards, bending time around her. She gasped as the world seemed to reset itself and the brunette looked around in confusion, the all too familiar sight of Mr. Jefferson's class was around her. What... the actual _fuck_?!

"Alfred Hitchcock famously called film, "little pieces of time" but he could be talking about photography, as he likely was." Mr. Jefferson droned on in the lecture that Max had heard so many times now she could probably recite it all by heart.

Wait... that meant... she was back. Chloe was alive... and she knew that she wasn't responsible for the storm. She couldn't have been... without ever using her powers once, it had still happened. What did that mean? She would have to figure it out. Max's eyes narrowed as she looked at Mr. Jefferson, doing her best not to let her hatred for him show on her face. She turned her head to look out the window... the world was out there. So she wasn't in a piece of time in a photograph. She had actually gone back to the beginning... but this time, she remembered everything. And that meant she could still save everyone. Chloe... Kate... even that snotty bitch Victoria. More importantly, she had to save the town from the storm... which meant she had to figure out what was causing it. What was REALLY causing it.

She looked up at the clock, her mind fixated on Chloe. Not only would Max save her... but she would tell her how she felt too. She would take that chance... because she knew they were meant to be. And there was no way she would ever sacrifice her again, no matter what. It would take some time for Max to forgive herself for that... but that wasn't important now. Chloe was. She had a second... third... ok she lost count... whatever chance. And she wasn't blowing it this time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So originally I was going to end with Max tearing the photograph and going off into an uncertain future with a devastated Arcadia Bay behind them. You know, the "Save the Bae, sacrifice the Bay" ending. And then I was going to start a new story with Max realizing she wasn't the cause of the storm. And once I got to that end I decided screw it, these two chapters make a good prologue. So that's what they are... chapter 3 will be the start of the new timeline. Which means that sadly, Chloe will not remember these events... but Max will. That should make for some interesting developments.


	3. Starting Over... Again.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's a brand new timeline... but Max remembers everything, including her crushing guilt over sacrificing Chloe to save Arcadia Bay. Now she has to decide how to handle things... but she needs her partner in time first, whether she deserves her or not.

Max couldn't believe this was happening. She was back at the beginning of the week and Chloe was out there... alive but walking towards her demise, blissfully ignorant of the danger. And here she was, stuck in that psychopath Mr. Jefferson's class, listening to him drone on about random photographers and their contributions to the field. She had been through all of this before... more than once, and it was like a recurring nightmare. Or... some sort of purgatory. What if that is what it was? Maybe she had died in that bathroom along with Chloe? No... she had just watched Jacob's Ladder one too many times... she hoped.

Max looked over at Kate, her heart going out to the girl. She looked so sad, it was like a cloud hanging over her. Before she knew what was going on, she had just assumed the girl was having a rough week and that she'd pop back to her normally bright and cheery self soon enough. But now she knew better... now she remembered her up on that roof. She'd have to do what she could to prevent that from happening... but right now her priority was Chloe.

Max became frustrated as Mr. Jefferson droned on and on... and she was actually starting to buy into the notion that she was in hell... or at least purgatory. But she knew how to break that cycle. She grabbed her camera and framed herself and then snapped a photo. She did her best not to roll her eyes as Mr. Jefferson started talking about "selfies" and then he posed her the question that she already knew the answer to. "The Daguerreian process." Max responded in a bored tone.

She was over all of this and ignored it as the teacher responded with surprise, as well as the scathing look that Victoria gave her. Max felt like she should just walk out... but that would attract too much attention, and right now she needed to be the Blackwell Ninja. She had to do things the right way... point the authorities to the barn and the Dark Room underneath with it's binders of victims' portraits, which would lead them to Rachel's body... and arresting Mark Jefferson and Nathan Prescott. But more than that... she had to discover the true cause of the storm and try to stop it... but how? This was too much for her alone... she needed her partner in time. Between the two of them, she and Chloe would figure out the right way to do all this. She was worried about changing too much... there were some events she needed to be predictable to keep as many people safe as possible. She'd have to figure out that right balance as she went though.

Finally the bell rang and Max had her things packed up and was starting to walk out, but she paused to talk to Kate. Might as well plant the seeds now. "Hey Kate? I noticed you look a little down today. I hope you know that you can talk to me about it. How about we get together soon, we can talk about all the crap going on in our lives and get through it together over tea. How does that sound?"

Kate looked up at her, her eyes red and puffy. It was obvious that she was crying a lot lately. "I... I guess. That sounds nice... thanks, Max."

"Seriously... I cherish you and our friendship. You're a blessing to me and everyone here. I just wanted you to know that." Max stated with sincerity.

Kate sniffled a bit and smiled, there was still some sadness to it but she was clearly touched by the kind words. "Thank you so much, Max. I... I don't know what to say."

The time traveler smiled and opened her arms a bit. "Neither do I. How about a hug? I think we could both use one." She felt relieved when Kate stood up and hugged her. She hoped this was enough to help the girl get through her current difficulties... but she'd make a point to check in on her regardless. Max gave her a nod and a smile after the other girl sat back down to start gathering her things.

Now the hard part... she stopped at Mr. Jefferson's desk, knowing he'd stop her if she tried to leave. "Mr. Jefferson, can I talk to you a minute about my photo for the contest?"

"Excuse YOU, Max! We were talking." Victoria griped, folding her arms and giving the brunette a haughty glare.

Max just gave her a pitying look and then turned back to Mr. Jefferson, ignoring the other girl. "I just wanted to let you know, I don't think I'll be entering a photo. But if I change my mind, I'll let you know. I'm not ready for this kind of exposure yet." After everything she had been through, she didn't give a single fuck about this stupid contest anymore... but she had to make it sound believable.

"I'm sorry to hear that, Max. I hope you reconsider. You have a gift... a singular outlook. So... innocent and pure." The teacher had a creepy little grin on his lips for a moment before he caught himself and put his professional mask back up. "I understand though... if you ever need to talk..."

"Thanks, Mr. Jefferson. I'm sure you'll be pretty busy though..." Max turned away to hide the look of disgust that threatened to show as her skin crawled. Such a creeper, how did she ever not see it? How did she ever think he was... _gag_... hot? But now to more important matters... Chloe. She walked out into the hall and moved as quickly as she dared to not draw attention as she made her way to the girl's bathroom.

Max stepped into the bathroom and let out a sigh of relief... she had made it on time. She knew she would but that didn't make her any less anxious. She moved to the opposite end of the bathroom and tried to figure out how she was going to handle this situation. She could make her presence known before the gun was drawn... hopefully head the situation off at the pass. Or... do what she did the first time, hit the fire alarm. But she remembered from previous versions of the timeline, Principal Wells didn't believe her when she ratted out Nathan... and the young Mr. Prescott had been all over her ass after that... even trashing her room and sending her threatening texts.

The brunette came up with an idea just as the blue butterfly fluttered in and landed on the metal bucket. She pulled her camera out and then took the shot. A moment later the bathroom door slammed open and she heard Nathan mumbling to himself, followed shortly by Chloe. Max couldn't help but smile as she heard the blue-haired girl's voice. It was like the voice of an angel... a very pissed off angel.

Max peeked around the corner and waited until Nathan pulled out the gun and then she moved quickly into position. Of course that got the rich kid's attention and he pointed the gun at her but she was already rewinding time. She framed him perfectly, showing him with the gun drawn, the markings on the bathroom mirror... her own body was obscured by Nathan's so she could remain anonymous... and Chloe wasn't in the frame either, protecting her as best that the photographer could. Time restarted and she snapped the picture, grabbing the photo and stopping time again just as Nathan reacted to the noise by turning and firing the gun. Her eyes widened as she saw the bullet within arms length of her chest, but then time was going in reverse.

Max quickly moved back into her hiding spot and reversed time again, but the photo was in her possession now so she had evidence if/when she needed to use it. She grabbed the hammer under the mop cart and a moment later the fire alarm was ringing, startling Nathan and allowing Chloe to give him the slip. She let out a breath she had been holding as the Prescott boy ran out a moment later, mumbling to himself yet again. She took a few steadying breaths and then exited the bathroom, coming face to face with Stepdi... er... David Madsen. "Hey! Do you hear that fire alarm?! That means you should be outside!" He barked at her.

"I know, sorry. I was... you know... right in the middle of... going to the bathroom when it went off." Max stated in as embarrassed a tone as she could. "I'm going out now... is that okay?"

David loomed over her, trying to intimidate her. "It sounds to me like you're hiding something. What were you REALLY doing in there?"

Really? She wanted to cut him some slack because he saved her life in the previous timeline, but he wasn't making it easy. "I'm not hiding anything! It's just embarrassing. I... got pee on my shoe because the alarm startled me." Max stated, her face flushing from embarrassment. The reaction was genuine because she was forced to say such a humiliating thing, even if it wasn't true. But it sold the statement anyway. "Why are you yelling at me?" She inquired, sniffling a little to try to make him feel guilty about interrogating her. She didn't like resorting to such tactics and they weren't her forte, but she had learned a thing or two lately.

"I... I was just doing my job. Skip on out of here, missy." David griped, gesturing towards the door and averting his gaze.

"It's okay. I understand. I hope everything is okay." The photographer stated quickly, rushing away and passing Principal Wells as he came out to inform Mr. Madsen that there was no emergency.

"Hold up, Max. You look a little stressed out. Are you okay?" The Principal inquired.

Not this again. "Yes, Mr. Wells. I was just... you know... in the middle of using the bathroom when the fire alarm went off. I got scared. I'm glad to hear there's no emergency though." She said as sincerely as she could. Max wasn't a good liar but... tell the same lie often enough and it starts to sound believable.

Mr. Wells looked her over, trying to gauge whether she was being truthful or not. "Are you sure that's all it is? You can always be upfront with me, Ms. Caulfield."

"I know, sir. Thank you. If I have any concerns, I know I can come to you." She stated quickly. The alarm disengaged and she visibly relaxed, the sound of it was making her anxious so it was nice to return to the normal sounds of the academy. "I'm just getting a little homesick, I guess. Oh, but I am loving it here, of course."

Principal Wells nodded, accepting her story. "I understand completely. Well, off you go then, Ms. Caulfield."

Max let out a sigh of relief as she exited the academic hall and made her way to the dorms to get Warren's flash drive, since he'd just keep bugging her until she gave it back to him. At least she knew where it was and could save herself some time. Ah, but first she had to deal with Victoria and her neurotic episode. She figured she'd at least try to do this without paint... if she could.

After Victoria stated that they weren't moving, Max just smiled. "Okay, I guess I'll just hang out here then." She stated as if she were happy about spending time with the trio.

"What? Ex-cuse me?!" Victoria demanded in disbelief.

"Taylor, I've been meaning to talk to you. I heard your mother was sick. I'm really sorry. How is she doing?" Max inquired.

Taylor was clearly surprised that Max even knew about it, let alone cared. "I don't really know yet. She's about to have surgery. That's... really sweet of you to ask." She stated, blinking in disbelief.

"Let me know if I can help you in any way, okay? Even if it's just to talk." The time traveler gave the girl a friendly smile and then turned her attention to Courtney. "Oh wow, that is an amazing blouse! You're always so stylish, Courtney. I'd love to get your advice on how to improve my wardrobe, if you ever have the spare time."

Courtney looked really confused, unsure of what to say. "I... well, maybe. You could sure use it. Talk to me again sometime when I'm not busy... maybe I'll have a tip or two for you." She offered.

"Thanks. You're super cool." Max stated, finally turning her attention to Victoria who was fuming at being ignored. "Hey, I'm sorry I interrupted you earlier with Mr. Jefferson. I understand if you're still pissed at me."

Victoria frowned, unsure of what kind of game Max was playing at. "Well... you should be." She stated haughtily. 

An awkward silence fell over them and then Taylor prodded her. "Let's just let her pass. I think she's cooler than we gave her credit for."

"No fucking way." Victoria growled, folding her arms and staring at Max with a fierce scowl on her face.

"It's fine, I'll just sit with you guys and hang out. I mean, I was going to head out for a while but I can see you want some company. Any awesome new bands that you guys have heard lately?" Max inquired, sitting down on the steps, giving Victoria a false friendly smile.

"Fine! You can pass, you weirdo." The insecure blonde cried out in exasperation, standing up to let Max pass as she grumbled to herself.

The time traveler tried to look a bit disappointed as she stood up and entered the dorms. She shook her head once she was out of earshot. "Well, you're welcome for not getting paint all over your sweater this time. _Asshole_."

She tried to make a beeline to Dana to retrieve the flash drive, but the argument was already happening and Juliet was locking Dana in her room. Max sighed and would have liked to go straight to Victoria's room to print out the email, but that would look suspicious. "Hey Juliet, what's going on between you and Dana?" She inquired.

"Dana's been sexting with my boyfriend, that's what's going on." Juliet growled, slamming her hand back against the door to punctuate her anger and ignored Dana's assurances of her innocence.

"That doesn't seem like something she would do... are you sure? Wait, you didn't hear it from Victoria, did you? I just overheard her laughing about some prank she pulled... I thought I heard Zach's name." Max stated, hoping to bypass going into Victoria's room and save some time.

"I did hear it from Victoria... but that doesn't mean anything. I'd need to see some proof. Why do you care, anyway? I bet you don't even know my last name." Juliet challenged.

"Juliet Watson, if you need proof, I'll see what I can do." The brunette stated boldly and turned towards Victoria's room. She ran into a minor hiccup in this alternate take on the timeline through, as the door to Victoria's room wasn't cracked open as it had been last time. Luckily the door wasn't locked, however. She had forgotten that it had likely been left open due to Taylor and Courtney's hasty retrieval of a towel for the paint splattered Victoria. But if it hadn't been, there was always the 'break the door open, get inside and reverse time' trick. That was a classic. She went straight to Victoria's computer and printed out the email and then hurried back to Dana's room to hand it over. "See? You've been pranked. Sorry."

Juliet read over the email quickly and then let out a sigh of exasperation. "Of course..." She opened the door, covering her face in shame as she apologized to Dana.

Max walked in to retrieve the flash drive after everything had been settled between the two friends and she paused after grabbing it. "Dana... sorry to bring this up, but I also overheard a rumor about you."

"Argh, are you serious? Yes, I was pregnant. _Was_. People are such gossips." Dana complained.

The time traveler nodded, giving the other girl a look of concern. "Well, if you ever need to talk about it, or anything, you know where to find me." She stated, not prying for any details this time.

"Thanks... that's kind of you, Max." Dana replied, looking a bit relieved that she didn't have to go into any details.

Max nodded and then started hurrying out to the parking lot to turn over the flash drive, rolling her eyes as Warren started texting her again asking where she was. Give it a rest, Warren! And of course, she ran into David hassling Kate again. What were these, fixed points in time? She sighed and stepped out from around the corner and approached. "Mr. Madsen, Kate hasn't done anything wrong. I know you're just trying to do your job, but you're scaring her."

"This is none of your business, Max." David growled, taking a step towards her as he tried to intimidate her.

"Kate is my friend. It's my business to watch out for my friends. Kate's had a rough week, she told me that earlier. So cut her some slack, please? Don't make things worse for her." Max pleaded, appealing to the man's better nature.

David frowned and looked between the two girls for a moment and then sighed. "All right, but both of you keep your noses clean, do you hear me? I'll be keeping my eye on you."

Max nodded and gave Kate a quick hug after David turned away. "Are you okay, Kate?"

"Yes... thanks, Max. You're a real friend. I don't even understand what he thought I did." She sniffled and then turned away to resume whatever she had been going to do before David got in her face.

The brunette smiled and nodded. She was certainly trying to be. All obstacles out of her way, she hurried to Warren, glancing over at Chloe's truck... still there and no Chloe yet, so she approached the nerd boy instead and handed over his flash drive, deflecting his awkward attempt at an unwelcome hug. "Here's your flash drive. Thanks."

"Uh... no problem." Warren responded awkwardly, attempting to casually hide the failed attempt at a hug. "Check out my new wheels!"

"Cool. I'm happy for you, Warren." The girl responded, trying to sound impressed.

"Yeah! Now we can go to the drive-in. There's one in Newberg, just 60 miles away." The boy stated hopefully.

Time to nip this in the bud... sorry Warren. "Oh, cool! You should ask Brooke, I'll bet she'd love to go out on a date with you. There's this girl I've got my eye on... maybe we'll be able to go on a double date?"

Warren nearly choked but covered it awkwardly. "Oh... I didn't realize you were... that... makes sense. I mean... uh... yeah, that sounds cool."

The brunette chose to let his comment slide. Of course he thought she wasn't interested just because she was into girls. It's not like she didn't like boys... at least somewhat... but there was only one person for her, and that was Chloe. She was... a Chloesexual. And she was also a gigantic nerd for thinking things like that. Warren never stood a chance. "You should go talk to her, she was flying her drone around... I bet she'd let you take it for a spin and you can work your magic."

"You think?" Warren inquired, looking towards the academy grounds. "Uh oh... incoming."

Max turned to see Nathan storming towards her. What? This again? How did he know? She hadn't reported him, she hadn't left a torn portrait on the ground... she had left no evidence. How did he know? "Max Caulfield, right? You're one of the Jefferson's photo groupies..." Nathan stated, clearly agitated.

Yep, this again. Seriously, how did he know?! "I'm one of his students." She replied. Not a groupie... never. Especially not now that she knew what a Grade A Psychopath he was.

"Whatthefuckever. I know you like to take pictures, especially when you're hiding out in the bathrooms. You best tell me what you told the Principal. Now." Nathan demanded.

Max blinked in surprise. This was just... surreal. "I didn't tell him anything, Nathan. I don't know what you think you heard, but we don't have a problem, for now. And it'll stay that way, if you get out of my face." Her eyes narrowed in challenge.

"Oh man, you're telling _me_ what to do?" Nathan growled.

"Get away from her, dude!" Warren exclaimed, trying to intervene which just earned him a quick headbutt. Aw, damn it. How did this happen again?

"Hey! Leave him alone! There's no reason for fight." Max yelled, trying to calm things. And yet again, she stepped into Nathan's neurosis.

"Nobody tells me what to do! Not my parents, not the Principal, or that whore in the bathroom." The young Prescott yelled while grabbing Max and shaking her.

"Get your hands off me, Prescott!" Max yelled, scratching at the boy's face and trying to push him away.

And then there she was... like an avenging angel in a old beaten down truck, barreling up and stopping just short of ramming right into her. When the photographer got up to her feet, the blue-haired girl reacted with surprise. "Max?!"

Though she wasn't surprised this time, it was still overwhelming to see her. Some part of her worried that even though she had seen her in the bathroom just like normal, she was somehow wiped from existence. Somehow still dead. But there she was, in all her hot punk glory. "Chloe." She said with more emotion than she intended. So many feelings behind that simple utterance.

Nathan popped up and started yelling and then Warren was tackling him to the ground, giving them the chance to escape. At least that hadn't changed, despite her letting the boy down gently. "Get in Max!" Chloe yelled, throwing open the passenger side door for her and holding her hand out. It was like a big "Come with me if you want to live!" moment. And of course, Max was leaping in without hesitation. A good thing too because Nathan was already up and punching and kicking at the door in his fury as the truck sped away.

Max turned to watch him for a moment, still puzzled about how the boy knew she was in the bathroom even though he shouldn't have. Was that a fixed moment in time too? Or was there more to the twisted little rich kid than even she knew? She turned back and looked towards Chloe, stunned speechless for a moment as emotion overwhelmed her. What could she say to her dearest friend? _'Hey Chloe... guess what? You don't remember this, but we totally fell in love and I gave you my virginity. Oh and then I sacrificed you because I'm stupid and thought it would fix everything and save the town but it didn't. How have you been for these past 5 fucking years that I haven't kept in touch because I'm the biggest asshole on the whole fucking planet?'_ Yeah... that would go over well, she was sure.

Chloe paused for a moment, waiting for the girl to speak, but when she didn't, she spoke for her. "Oh, and thanks, Chloe!" She stated sarcastically with a roll of her eyes. "After five years, you're still Max Caulfield."

Emotion was overwhelming her and she couldn't speak. How could she begin to explain all the love and guilt and... everything? But she didn't want to hide anything from her... not her. Never her. She would have to approach this delicately though. As soon as she could get a handle on her intense guilt, that was. She lowered her head, feeling tears dripping from her eyes. Shit... this was going to freak Chloe out.

"Don't give me that guilty face. At least pretend you're glad to see me." Chloe griped, looking over at Max and being taken aback at seeing the tears flowing. "Whoa... what's with the water works? I know you're feeling guilty about being a selfish asshole, but damn girl..."

Max couldn't handle the emotions. She threw her arms around Chloe and sobbed into her shoulder. How could she begin to explain this? "I am so sorry, Chloe. You have no idea how sorry I am. Seriously." She choked out.

"Holy shit, Max... okay, apology accepted. Overreaction, much? Shit... you're going to make _me_ cry now. I know you feel bad but... holy shit girl. I mean, if you felt this guilty, why didn't you ever... you know. Write or call? Or hell, even answer my goddamned texts?" Chloe inquired, feeling baffled as Max continued to cling to her and sob. It was breaking her heart... but damn it, she was supposed to be angry. She was pissed for sure... five years of bitterness didn't go away that quickly.

"I'm a horrible person and you deserved so much better." The brunette affirmed in a soft and sad tone. It was kind of fucked up, but she almost wanted Chloe to be mad at her. She deserved it, for not saying fuck the world and letting it burn to save her beloved punk girl. But... she also just wanted to kiss Chloe... to make it up to her and live for her. She had so many conflicting emotions and she didn't really know what to do with them yet. 

"Oh.... kay. You're starting to make me feel like an asshole, here, Max. Calm down, okay? We'll work this out..." The punk stated awkwardly. She tried not to think about how right it felt to have Max clinging to her like this. Fuck...

Max sighed and wanted to pull away... but she just couldn't bring herself to do it. "I missed you." She said, attempting to cover for her actions.

"Uh... yeah. I can see that." The blue-haired girl responded, shaking her head in bemusement. "Uh... looks like your camera was a casualty of war." She pointed out, nodding to the broken camera.

Shit... she had forgotten about that. "I'll... figure something out. Maybe I can fix it..." She said. She really needed to pull away and stop crowding Chloe but... she couldn't. Damn it Max, you're going to creep her the hell out if you keep this up.

"Max... seriously, are you okay? You're... acting kind of strange. Even for you." The punk inquired, looking down at the girl's mousy brown hair since her face was burrowed into her shoulder.

"I know... and I'm really sorry. We... have a lot to talk about. But it can wait. I know this is weird and if you want me to back off, I will. But... I'd like to just... process everything for a few minutes, okay?" Max asked hopefully.

Chloe blinked a few times and then turned her attention back to the road. "Yeah... sure. Knock yourself out, Spider-Max." She'd never admit it, but this felt right. And she didn't mind having someone close after having a gun pulled on her. She might be a tough badass, but she was human too. "I'm still pissed you didn't keep in touch, you know." She added, just to make it clear she wasn't giving the girl a free pass just because she was showing some remorse.

"I know, you can spank me later, if it makes you feel better." The brunette stated, and then her eyes widened as she realized what she said. Shit, she should probably rewind...

"Yeah, well... maybe I will." The blue-haired girl laughed softly and shook her head. "Hmm. Anyway, my step-douche has a fully stocked garage. Maybe he has the tools you need to fix your camera. And... welcome home, Max."

Max smiled and remained quiet for the rest of the ride. This might be her last chance to be close to Chloe... after she told her everything... she wouldn't blame the other girl at all if she hated her. She hated herself, so it would be justified, in her opinion. Reluctantly she pulled away when they pulled up to the Price homestead and she averted her eyes so Chloe wouldn't see all the tears she had shed and the still guilty look on her face.

"Come on in, don't be shy." The punk girl stated as she unlocked the door, turning to look at Max as she moved slowly around the truck to join her. They went straight up to Chloe's room and the blue-haired girl flopped onto the bed. "My room looks a bit different than the last time you saw it." Chloe stated without apology in her tone.

Max smiled and looked around. The other girl didn't know how wrong she was. "I love it." She said instead. As she looked around, she could see all the memories. From playing together as children all the way up to that last night... making love for hours until the storm came and fucked everything up. But she had other memories now too... helping Joyce look through Chloe's things to find something nice for her to wear in her funeral... and crying on each other's shoulders afterwards. The gut-wrenching sorrow of watching her beloved friend lowered into the ground and knowing that it was her fault. And the soul crushing realization that it had been for nothing, even with no powers, the storm had still come.

"You look like you're about to faint. Sit down, girlfriend. Take a load off. We can chill a minute before you go in search of tools." The punk stated, gesturing vaguely to the desk chair.

Max considered sitting down on the bed instead but she figured it was best to give the other girl her space for now. She... no longer deserved being close to her. And she would probably be glad very soon to be out of easy reach of the girl. "Thanks Chloe." The brunette responded, sadness oozing out of her tone despite her best efforts.

Chloe lifted her head up from where she was lying on her bed to look over at Max, catching the melancholy in her tone but deciding to ask about it later if she didn't bring it up on her own. "So... what was Nathan Prescott getting all up in your grill about, Max?"

A half smile formed on the brunette's face. Time to take the shot... pull the trigger. And all sorts of other euphemisms for 'kill her friendship'. "Somehow he knew that I was in the bathroom when you and he had your confrontation. I don't know how yet, but it's the least of the mysterious I have to unravel."

"Shit... you were there? So you heard everything..." The blue-haired girl stated with a sigh. "I was..."

"Chloe, I know. You were trying to shake him down for money. I know... everything. Look... I need to tell you something, and you're not going to believe me. And you might hate me for it, but I don't want to lie to you. I don't want to hide _anything_ from you. So just... listen to me, okay?" The photographer pleaded, emotion thickening her voice and making it more difficult to get the words out.

Chloe slowly sat up and got a closer look at her friend, noticing how upset she looked. "Uh... okay. You're... creeping me out, dude. Just tell me what's going on. Are you in trouble?"

A soft scoff escaped Max's lips before she could stop it. Not her... not entirely. "I don't know any other way to do this but just to say it. I don't know how or why, but I have time powers. I can... kind of rewind time. Usually only about a minute or so tops, but I can also go into a piece of time captured by a photograph and alter events... and as I just found out... somehow revert time a week. It's like I'm in this perpetual loop... and it always starts and ends the same way." She sighed and rested her face in her hand to avoid seeing the disbelieving look on Chloe's face. "I know you don't believe me and I know I sound like a crazy person."

"Well... yeah. I mean... it's not the kind of thing someone can just accept without proof. I mean, it sounds like a prank in the making... but I've never known you to be a prankster. Then again... I don't know how much you've changed in the past five years, considering you weren't around." The punk stated, bitterness and underlying anger in her tone.

"I know. I had to prove it to you last time too. And this time... I can tell you that you have David's gun, which he is going to come up here looking for when he gets home, so don't light up that joint you were going to smoke. I really don't want to have to take the blame for it again... but I will if you want me to. I also know you have a picture of you and Rachel Amber in that box under your bed. I know you two were... close. And that you've been looking for her. And I know that you owe your dealer, Frank Bowers, like three thousand dollars and that's why you're holding onto that gun."

Chloe stared at Max. Maybe she was waiting for some crack in her demeanor to let her know she was somehow joking... but those were some very specific 'guesses'. "How could you know all of that?" She asked in disbelief.

The brunette held up her hands. "I told you. Time powers. I've lived through this week... in multiple different timelines that all kind of... merged together. I remember so many events all... piled on top of each other. It's... a bit confusing. You were going to tell me to find David's tools in the garage while you... 'self-medicated'. I'd find them... but I won't be able to fix my camera. You let me have William's old camera... and you took this photo in exchange." 

Max held out the butterfly photo which Chloe took and looked at, confirming that Max was indeed in the bathroom, just as she said. "Holy shit. I... can't even wrap my head around this, Max. So you really were there... you totally saved my ass." The blue-haired girl exclaimed as she stared at the picture.

"If you want to hold onto the gun, I won't stop you... but I can put it back before David comes home if you hand it over to me now. I can tell you from experience that you won't need it... and it'll just get you into more trouble. You even managed to shoot yourself in the junk yard where you and Rachel used to hang out. I'd... prefer not having to go through that again. Frank won't hurt you, I promise. You... have more in common than you realize." Max stated, wondering if she should tell Chloe about Frank and Rachel. Or other painful truths that she might before not knowing. That wasn't her decision to make though... it was Chloe's. "Chloe... there are some things that I can tell you that... you might not want to know. I promise, I won't hide anything from you unless you want me to. It's your choice. Do you want to know everything, or should I spare you the details that will only needlessly hurt you?"

The punk girl sighed and drew her knees up, resting her arms on them and her chin in turn on her folded arms. She pondered that question, wondering what kinds of hurtful things Max might be able to tell her and whether she really wanted to know. "I... don't know. I think I'd rather know everything. Not knowing is just as bad as knowing something painful. Tell me something... do we find Rachel?"

"Are you sure you want to know? And right now? David will be home in a few minutes, and as I said, with his gun missing he's going to come straight up here. I'd advise you to wait a bit. I'll tell you everything, I swear. But I don't want to overload you." Max stated cautiously.

"Fine... then you'll have to get my mind off of it. Tell me something else. Do I forgive you for ignoring me for five fucking years while I went through hell?" Chloe demanded.

The brunette thought about the question for a few moments, trying to figure out how to respond to it. "Well... I think mostly, as much as you could. But... it still hurt, the kind of hurt that doesn't just go away. Honestly, we never really talked about it. We brought it up a few times, you expressing your hurt over it, me saying sorry and how horrible of me it was. But we never just... talked about it. It was a painful subject for us both. I guess with everything else going on, we were too focused on the present."

"Is that why you seem so guilty? And all that crying and grabbing at me on the ride up here?" The blue-haired girl inquired.

Max smiled sadly and shook her head. "Well... partly, I'll always feel bad about not contacting you. But... there are far fresher wounds that brought on those tears. They're things I have to live with... mistakes I made that, even through they've been undone... still hurt. We have plenty of time to talk about these things though."

Chloe was about to ask about it when they heard the door slam downstairs. At least they didn't have to frantically turn down the music like last time. A few moments later, David was stomping up the stairs. "Oh shit. Hide, Max!"

"It'll be okay, Chloe." The time traveler stated confidently, giving Chloe a sad smile as she stood... well... sat her ground.

David started pounding on the door. "Chloe? Open the door, I need to talk to you!"

Chloe sighed and jumped off the bed and went to open the door, pausing just long enough to make sure Max was sure about not hiding before she opened it. "Relax, we're not performing ritual sacrifices and conjuring the devil in here or anything." The punk stated sarcastically.

"I don't need any of your lip, missy. Why is _she_ here?!" David asked, gesturing to Max.

"None of your business." The blue-haired girl responded in annoyance.

"I don't like strangers here." David snapped, glaring at Max.

Chloe rolled her eyes in exasperation. "Stop freaking, she's not a stranger. This is my friend."

"Great, another one of your 'friends'." The security guard growled. He started looking around the room. "One of my guns is missing. Did you take it?" He demanded.

"Oh gawd, I didn't take your stupid gun. You do know I believe in gun control?" The punk responded sarcastically, though her eyes shifted over to Max, realizing the girl had been right about why David was coming up here. 

Luckily David was busy looking in the ashtray so he missed the glance. There was no joint in it this time though, just cigarette butts, so he shifted his attention back to Chloe. "If you didn't take it, then who did?" The man demanded angrily, turning his attention over to Max and taking a menacing step towards her as he raised a finger to jut it towards her. "Was it _you_?

Max backed away from him slightly, unsure of how to respond. "I just got here, don't look at me." She squeaked out.

"Hey! Back off her, David! It's not our fault if you can't keep track of your shit." Chloe yelled, getting in her stepfather's face.

The veteran scowled and was about to say something else, but then his gaze shifted back over to Max and he decided he had best hold his tongue in front of 'outsiders'. "I'm getting sick of your disrespect, Chloe. And Max, if I find you here again, it will be the last time." With that he stomped out of the room and slammed the door behind him.

Chloe shot the middle fingers at his back and then turned to Max. She just stared at her for a minute and then sat down on her bed, her mind reeling. It was obvious now... Max was telling the truth. And the implications of that were mind-boggling. "Holy shit... you weren't bullshitting about your powers. That means... fuck, I can't even process what all it means."

Max nodded, dreading the conversation that they would have to have now. But if Chloe wanted to know... she would tell her. A small delay for her to get her thoughts in order seemed like a good idea. "Let's get out of here first. Last time you took me to the lighthouse. I think that's... an appropriate place to talk."

Chloe nodded and gestured at the window. "All right, Spider-Max. Let's sneak out the window then." Though it seemed hardly worth saying as Max had already moved the desk chair to the side and was reaching for the window. "One step ahead of me... I guess I'm going to have to start getting used to that."

Max chuckled and looked back over her shoulder. "You have no idea. Let's set sail, Blue Beard."

Chloe grinned and followed after her, and soon they were driving to the lighthouse in silence, both lost in their own thoughts. After they walked up to the bench, Chloe sat down, facing the setting sun. Max sat down next to her and they were both still quiet for a minute. "Well... any weird predictions, Mighty Max?" Chloe inquired with a grin on her face.

"It's going to start snowing soon... any minute now, probably." Max replied, smiling back at her friend.

"Phht, yeah right. Now I know you're fucking with me. It's like 80 degrees." The punk responded, thoroughly amused at the perceived joke. The brunette was silent as snowflakes started falling, though she had an 'I told you so' kind of smile on her face. Chloe looked up at the sky in awe for a few moments and then looked over at Max. If there had been any doubt in her mind that the girl was legit about her time traveling abilities, they were dispelled now. "All right Max... tell me everything."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I admit, it was slightly awkward at times when integrating the established dialogue from the game into the chapter... but hopefully it turned out all right. Next chapter is probably going to be pretty angsty so... fair warning.
> 
> And just for fun, Max's "end of chapter 1 choices summary"  
> Major Choices:  
> Principal Wells: "You hid the truth"  
> Victoria's Outfit: Alternate Option "You confused Victoria"  
> David and Kate: "You intervened to help out Kate"  
> Chloe's Pot: Alternate Option "You prevented Chloe from lighting up and getting caught"
> 
> Minor Choices:  
> Daniel: "You didn't let Daniel draw your portrait"  
> Ms. Grant: "You didn't sign Ms. Grant's petition."  
> Alyssa: "You didn't help Alyssa"  
> Kate's Slate: "You didn't erase Kate's slate."  
> Lisa the Plant: "You didn't water your plant."  
> Dana's Pregnancy Test: "You didn't touch Dana's pregnancy test."  
> Victoria's photos: "You didn't touch Victoria's photos."  
> Dirty RV: "You didn't write on a dirty RV."  
> The Bird: "You let the bird die. You monster."  
> Chloe's Snow Globe: "You didn't break Chloe's snow globe."  
> Snooping Evidence: "You didn't leave any evidence."  
> David's Files: Alternate "You read David's files... in a previous timeline."


	4. Stumbling Into Regret

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Max attempts to navigate the troubled waters of filling Chloe in on everything that she needs to know... perhaps too much. Guilt is a hell of a thing. There's lots of hurt emotions in this one so... fair warning.

Max groaned softly as sunlight filtered in through the window, rousing her from her slumber. She opened her eyes and immediately regretted it... everything just seemed way too bright. "Uuuurgh." She groaned, shifting slightly and squeezing her eyes shut as the room started spinning a bit. Her head was killing her... what the hell was going on?

Slowly she became aware that her head was resting on something soft and warm. Her eyes cracked open again, more slowly this time and she became conscious of the fact that she was snuggled up to Chloe, her head resting on the other girl's stomach. Max's nose crinkled a bit as she realized the punk smelled like a brewery... but then she smelled herself and realized she didn't smell much better. Shit... did she really get wasted last night?

Max yawned and shifted her body, sliding up away from the small puddle of drool she had left on the punk's belly and up towards her lovely face. She smiled fondly as she gazed upon that face, it looked so peaceful in her slumber. She nuzzled in closer, brushing her lips over one of Chloe's warm cheeks as her hand caressed the other. For a few brief moments in the dull morning light... she forgot... everything. Nothing else existed except for her, Chloe, and that room. And then the alarm clock went off and soft music started filling the room. A smile formed on the brunette's lips as she thought about the last time she listened to music like that in this room... while tenderly kissing and licking her lover ever so slowly and carefully up towards a release, both physical and emotional. That was a precious memory, that unfortunately was hers alone now.

Slowly the time traveler tried to focus on last night's events but they were a blur. Right... the lighthouse. She had told Chloe about... Rachel. Shit.... that explained things. Hazy memories started to sharpen out of the haze of her mind. The first thing Chloe had wanted to know about was what happened to Rachel. So as gently as she could, she told the punk girl what had happened to her former girlfriend. She left off some of the finer details... Rachel's relationship with Frank behind Chloe's back... how she had been drawn into Mr. Jefferson's world by modeling and more than likely sex. These details would only hurt the girl more and she was already going through enough. 

Max didn't think they had talked about much after that... Chloe had reacted poorly, as she had expected. She recalled how her heart had broken again as the punk wailed out Rachel's name as the brunette clung to her, doing what little she could to comfort the girl who had already lost too much. And then came the rage, denial... and tequila. Lots and lots of tequila. Memories of the other girl shoving the bottle into her face and demanding that she join her in 'getting wasted' started to surface. She couldn't deny the blue-haired girl anything no matter how gross she found alcohol to be... especially when she was hurting that badly. Pain that she had caused by telling her the truth. At least Chloe had clung to her rather than taking out her grief and rage on her... though a part of her wished the girl had. No... that would only make Chloe feel bad in the long run... this guilt was hers alone to bear.

A part of her was glad that the conversation had essentially ended there. Chloe needed time to process and grieve for the loss of Rachel before all the other stuff was discussed. Time... Max's superpower... and her curse. All those memories, piled on top of each other. Three different versions of events from the day William died... or didn't die... and that fateful day that her powers activated, and that was just the start of it. 

Every time she went back in time using a photograph to alter events, the alternate memories established and added into her recollection once the "current version" of Max and her time-lost variations caught up to one another. She had lived through many different versions of this week. The original timeline, the version where she went to save William, the one where she back to send Mr. Jefferson to jail and went to San Francisco for the Everyday Heroes contest, the version where she tore her photograph as soon as she made it... and finally the version where she let Chloe die to try to save the town. All those different versions of Max became one and her memories were just... a jumbled mess. There was one constant though... that she loved Chloe.

Max was lost in thought, snuggled up close to Chloe with their foreheads touching and her arm resting over the other girl's stomach when she became aware of blue eyes opening and fixing on hers. They stared at one another silently for a few moments before the brunette recalled that their closeness might seem strange to the punk girl so she slowly pulled away, trying not to call undue attention to it. "Oh... my head. Tequila and Max Caulfield do not mix." She groaned.

Chloe slowly rolled over and reached down to pick up her ashtray and set it on her stomach and then grabbed the joint she didn't smoke the day before. She lit it up and just lay there, listening to the soft music and silently puffing away.

The photographer was still for a minute in awkward silence and then slowly sat up, letting out another soft groan as her head started throbbing. She looked over her shoulder and saw that Chloe's pants were half off, like she had been in the middle of pulling them off and then had passed out... possibly face planting as well. She let out a soft giggle before she stopped herself... not the time, Caulfield. Just to be on the safe side to guard against pissing Chloe off, she rewound a few seconds.

Max felt an odd lump in her pants and looked down to see a bulge at her hip. Confused, she reached into her pocket and felt a wad of cash. A big wad of cash. "Wowser!" She exclaimed. She felt Chloe's eyes on her as she counted the money out... it was about four thousand dollars and she had no idea where it had come from. "How drunk _were_ we last night?" She wondered aloud. Had she robbed someone? Or... gained the money by some clever use of her rewind power and a bet? She couldn't remember... and that worried her.

Chloe looked surprised as well and opened her mouth to say something but then her expression dropped back into melancholy and she turned her head away to gaze towards the photos of her and Rachel.

The brunette paused where she was, feeling worried about the blue-haired girl. "Chloe... can I do anything for you?" She inquired in a soft, compassionate tone.

"Can you rewind six months and keep Rachel from getting killed?" The punk inquired bitterly.

Max shook her head sadly. "No, I can't rewind to last night, let alone six months ago." She responded. "The best I could hope for would be finding a photograph I was in or took from around that time and try to get a warning to you... but I've learned from experience that going back that far has... lots of unforeseen consequences. I might manage to save Rachel, but you might end up dead instead... or Joyce. It's dangerous... so dangerous that after the first time I did it, I promised myself to never do it again. I only did after that because..." She stopped there and dropped her gaze as the painful memories flooded back. "I'll do it if you want me too, even if it kills me."

The brunette prayed that Chloe didn't ask her to do it. Considering Rachel was having affairs with Frank and Mr. Jefferson behind the punk girl's back, she couldn't see this turning out well in any shape or form. She felt Chloe's eyes on her and she bit her lip as she waited to see if she'd ask.

"Do you think you have any photos you could use?" The blue-haired girl inquired after what seemed an eternity as she stamped out the joint she had finished smoking.

Max pondered that question for a while and then remembered one photo that might work. "Well, there was a picture I took of my parents on Easter Sunday... that was a few weeks before Rachel disappeared so... I could try calling or texting you. Then it would depend on whether you believed me and whether you figured out a way to keep her safe. I'd be stuck in Seattle and I can only move around in close proximity to where the photograph was taken so these are very big ifs." She stated thoughtfully.

She could see that Chloe was considering it, that it was likely she would ask her to do it. "The man who takes her... he's my photography professor. She's..." The time traveler winced, not wanting to reveal this bit of information. Delicately, Max. Delicately. "She's... close... with him. So she might just consider it jealousy. And if you somehow got him in trouble, I don't know if I would have come to Blackwell. It sickens me to say it now, but he was one of the primary reasons why I pursued the Blackwell scholarship. I did also want to come back here, to you... but he was the main reason why the photography program was so good. Without him... I don't know that I would come here. And you wouldn't have ended up in that bathroom with Nathan even if I did... and my powers wouldn't be activated... and I don't even know what would happen after that." 

Max rubbed at her temples, trying to think of all the possibilities. She leaned down and grabbed her satchel and opened up her photo journal and found the photo she was looking for and handed it over to the other girl to look at. "I swear to you, Chloe... if you genuinely want me to do it, to risk it... I'll burn the world down for you. Even if it means... I never see you again."

Chloe's eyes shot up from the photograph to Max's face when she said that last line. She sat up slowly and stared down at the photo and then looked over at the one of Rachel. Fresh tears dripped down from her eyes and her hands started shaking. Seemingly by impulse, she picked up her lighter and lit the photo on fire and dropped it into her ashtray and started sobbing in earnest.

Max's eyes widened and she threw her arms around the blue-haired girl and held her tightly, doing what she could to soothe her sorrows. Her blue eyes shifted down to look at the burning photograph, somewhat baffled by what had just happened. She didn't really understand why Chloe had burned the photo when she could have simply handed it back to her if she didn't want to risk it.

After crying for quite a while, Chloe finally started to settle down to soft sniffles and she absently wiped at her eyes. "Sorry about your photograph, Max." She stated apologetically.

"Yeah that was... kind of... an extreme reaction." Max observed as gently as she could, trying her best not to sound accusing.

The blue-haired girl sighed and looked down at the ashes that remained. "Sorry."

"It's okay." The photographer responded. Did this mean that Chloe... had chosen her... over Rachel? Or maybe she just thought it wouldn't have worked. It was best not to read to much into it. "Wanna go get breakfast at the diner? My treat... I think I knocked over a liquor store or something last night."

Chloe shook her head and slowly lay back down. "I need some time to just... feel shitty."

Max reached out slowly and tenderly brushed the girl's blue locks away from her face. "Do you want me to stay? I'll blow off school today if you want me to. Just tell me what you need and I'll do it."

"I'm already being a bad influence on you, huh Max?" The punk girl chuckled dryly and then turned over on her side, facing away from her friend. "It's cool, just... give me some space for a while."

The brunette frowned and gently rubbed the girl's arm in what was intended to be a soothing manner. "Are you sure?" She inquired in a soft voice. Chloe didn't really respond, she just sort of pulled herself tighter inwards, like she was starting towards the fetal position. The photographer sighed softly and leaned over to gently kiss the girl's shoulder, not daring to kiss anything more intimate like her cheek. "If you need me, call or text. I will drop everything and run back here. I will never abandon you again. Do you hear me? _Never_."

Chloe remained silent so Max gathered up her things and slowly left, though she hated leaving the girl like this. She paused as she looked at where the girl kept William's camera... she never had been given it the previous day. "Chloe, do you mind if I take William's camera? I still need one... if you don't want me to take it, I'll figure something else out. It's okay."

The blue-haired girl was silent for so long that Max started to leave before she finally spoke up. "Dad... would like that."

Max paused where she was, waiting to see if she would say anything else. She assumed that was permission so she retrieved the camera as carefully as she could. She paused at the door and took a photo of Chloe. "I love you, Chloe. I meant what I said. Call me and I'll come running. If you don't... I'll stop back by after classes." She almost added an 'Okay?' on the end but... no, she was coming either way. Chloe simply lit up a cigarette and remained silent.

The brunette hated leaving the girl like that. Was it one of those circumstances where she needed some space, as she said, or would it be better for her overall to have someone there? There was no right answer here. Trying to stay would likely make her feel smothered and irritable, but leaving would likely make her feel lonely and abandoned. Shit.

After washing up in the bathroom, including using Chloe's toothbrush to wash the stale taste of tequila from her mouth and taking some aspirin for her hangover, Max paused at the girl's door, only hearing the soft sounds of music, and then continued down the stairs with a soft sigh. She had half-expected Joyce to be making breakfast... but no. That was right... she worked the morning shift that day. Max had first met her at the Two Whales Diner. And that was her next stop... she needed food and she was craving a bacon omelette.

The young photographer walked down to the bus stop and was soon being carried into town as she listened to some music, lost in her own thoughts and worries. After being dropped off outside of the diner, she headed straight inside. She couldn't really focus on anything besides food at that moment. The smells inside the Two Whales made her stomach growl and put a smile on her face. _'Soon, my dear stomach... patience.'_ She thought with a chuckle.

Max sat down at a booth and gave Joyce a friendly smile when the looked her way, happy to see the woman's face light up. The waitress finished up what she was doing and walked over, grabbing a pot of coffee along the way and giving Max a nice steaming cup of joe. "And there she is, a lovely young woman. How are you doing, Max?" Mrs. Price inquired with a warm smile on her face.

The brunette couldn't help but just stare in awe for a few moments. All the memories from her childhood and more recently the previous timelines washed over her. She should be used to it by now... but it still had that odd mix of feeling like she hadn't seen Joyce in years along with feeling like it was yesterday. "Hi Joyce, it's _so_ good to see you again. You don't even know how happy it makes me to see you doing well." Max gushed a bit. Whoa, Caulfield... rein it in a little, you're acting strangely.

Joyce chuckled and her smile widened. "Well, it's good to be missed." She responded. They caught up for a few minutes before she took the brunette's order. Max sipped at her coffee and looked around, trying to focus on anything besides her growling tummy until her food was brought over. "I can hear your stomach rumbling from here, Max. Here. You'll love this."

Max's face brightened as she rubbed her hands together and she started to drool. "I'm drooling like a baby." She murmured, gazing at her food like it was a long lost lover.

"Still can't believe you're a woman. When I look at pictures of Chloe..." Joyce paused as her attention was drawn to the window. "Hmm. Speak of the devil."

The photographer's gaze was instantly caught away from her food and her mouth dropped open in shock. There she was... her blue-haired angel. She was floored. She had expected her to stay in bed all day, or at least home. But she had a look of determination on her face... which was both good to see and a little scary. "Mom and Max, together again." Chloe observed as she sauntered up.

"And Chloe, looking for a free meal. You've put your whole damn college fund on your tab." Joyce chided her daughter in a tone that spoke of tested patience.

"I'm treating Chloe for breakfast." Max spoke up, amused at how this was all happening again. Such... delightful nostalgia.

"No, it's on me, sweetheart. Celebration for you coming home." Joyce responded with a kind smile. " _You_ only get one damn slice of bacon today, Chloe."

Chloe rolled her eyes and leaned back against the booth as she crossed her arms. She looked over her shoulder at Max, noting the amusement on the other girl's face. "We never change, right? I can read you like a book, Max Caulfield."

The brunette chuckled as she nodded. "Every timeline is the same. It's... comforting. _And_ amusing."

Chloe let out a dry chuckle and then her gaze was drawn to the source of the country tunes she was hearing. "What is this shit on the jukebox?" Max hid her smile with a bite of omelette. She was happy so see the girl up and seemingly back to normal... but also a bit worried. Perhaps she was up and about _too_ quickly. The punk girl switched it to a more rocking tune and then hopped into the both. "Now that that's out of the way... it's time to talk bidness."

Max smiled slightly at the choice of phrase and didn't even complain when the other girl swiped one of her sausage pieces to munch on. "Okay... what's first?"

The blue-haired girl glanced around to make sure no one was within earshot and then leaned forward. "Well, you tell me, SuperMax. You know what happened to Rachel. You know who..." She paused, her fist clenching for a moment as her eyes closed and then she loosened her hand slowly and let out a sharp sigh. "You know who... took her. What have you done to make that fucker pay? You said it was some teacher at Blackwell?"

The time traveler opened her mouth to reply but then noticed that Joyce was walking over with Chloe's plate so she raised her finger slightly to indicate she'd wait a minute before replying. She sipped at her coffee instead and found amusement in the banter between mother and daughter. After Joyce walked away, Max finally replied. "I haven't done anything yet. It wasn't my decision alone to make. You don't remember this now but... you said we were partners in time." She paused to smile fondly at the thought. Oh... what a good night that was. "Even though you don't remember it, I do. We're totally partners, Chloe. We're in this together. We decide what to do, _together_."

"I said that, huh?" Chloe inquired as she picked up her lonely piece of bacon and started munching on it. "Sounds like I knew what i was talking about. All right... give me an overview... what do I need to know?"

"Um... a lot? I mean... it was five days... and I've lived through multiple versions of them." Max responded, getting a cute little crease on her nose as she scrunched her face up. "I don't want to give you information overload. Bad enough I have it... everything is just so... mixed up and piled on top of each other. It's confusing."

The punk girl let out an exasperated over-expressive sigh. "Bullet points, Max! Let's start at the top. This teacher... what did he do, and how do we kick his teeth in?"

Max's eyes became downcast. Of course they were starting with one of her more painful experiences. She took a deep breath to calm her nerves before speaking. "He has a perverted obsession with... innocence. He... drugs women and takes these... sick photos of them. But he didn't actually kill Rachel... Nathan did, with an accidental overdose. He's his... I don't know... protégé, I guess. That's what he was trying to do to you when he drugged you in his room, Chloe."

"Are you fucking kidding me?!" Chloe yelled, earning a sharp reprisal from Joyce to calm down or get out. Max shot the woman an apologetic look as the punk girl hissed and tried to calm down. "That... fucking motherfucker... I'm going to rip his _balls_ off and choke him with them!"

"Chloe... I'm hoping that we can get this resolved without either of us landing in prison. I know you're upset, believe me, I am too. But we have to approach this the right way." The brunette stated, trying to be the voice of reason.

The blue-haired girl scoffed and leaned back in her seat, putting a little distance between them. "Yeah, that's easy for _you_ to say. You weren't the one drugged and man-handled."

"Yes, Chloe. I was. In more than one timeline. How do you think I found out about Mr. Jefferson's involvement?" Max asked, shaking her head sadly.

"What?! That fucker did it to _you_ too?!" Chloe growled, earning another yell from Joyce. Her hands balled into fists and she shook with fury as she clenched her eyes closed, obviously trying to keep from blowing her top completely. "I'm going to kill him. I'm going to kill both of those motherfuckers."

The time traveler reached out and laid her hand on top of the other girl's clenched fist and gave her the sad eyes. "I don't want to lose you again, Chloe. Please... let's do this the right way. We can point the authorities to Nathan and Mr. Jefferson. There's a barn owned by the Prescott's where his sick little photo studio is under. All the evidence needed to arrest them both is there. And if that's not enough, I have a photo of Nathan in the girl's bathroom. I framed it so there's no doubt it's where he is... and I kept you out of it. I'm hoping not to have to use it though... even though it doesn't show you, you'd still likely be questioned. I don't want this blowing back on you... or Joyce."

Chloe sighed and lowered her head down so her forehead rested on top of Max's hand, which in turn was on Chloe's. She remained still like that for a long pause before slowly sitting up. "All right, Mighty Max. We'll do it your way. You're the one with experience with this, right? We'll figure that out. What's next?"

The brunette bit her lip thoughtfully as she thought about it. "Well... the problem is, even after putting Mr. Jefferson and Nathan in jail... or even with both of them dead... there's still this giant fucking tornado that comes and destroys the whole town. We became convinced that it was my fault... my powers, you know... all the changes to time and destiny. Chaos theory. But... we were wrong. Even in a timeline where I didn't use my powers once, the tornado still came the same as always."

"How'd you manage to get through a whole week without using your powers once? I mean, obviously you didn't tell _me_ about them or I'd have talked you into playing with them." Chloe quipped, an amused smile forming on her lips. She caught the guilt intensifying on Max's face but was distracted when a few seemingly random events happened. A coffee mug breaking, a police cruiser speeding off, Justin and Trevor bickering a few booths down and then the jukebox acting crazy. She looked around, feeling an odd sense of deja vu. "Weird... I felt a chill on the back of my neck just now."

Max chuckled. "Well when I revealed my powers to you last time, you asked for proof so first I told you what you had in your pockets and then when you asked for more... well you saw what just happened. I told you ahead of time what would happen and then you believed me without a doubt. I didn't need to do that this time."

"Well... that's my SuperMax." Chloe chuckled and then glanced down at her hand, noting that Max was still holding it. When Max noticed the look, she pulled her hand away as casually as she could and coughed softly, a blush creeping into her cheeks. "Don't think you pulled one over on me, you know. I notice things."

The blush darkened and Max leaned back in her booth, her eyes widening in surprise. "Wh... what? What do you mean?"

The punk girl leaned forward like a jungle cat about to pounce, a predatory grin on her lips. She waited just a moment before speaking, enjoying the nervous tension on the brunette's cute face. "I saw that wad of cash you had. You're hella loaded now. Sounds like it's party time! Where'd you even get it?"

The photographer shook her head. "I have no idea. I'm serious. Last night after we started drinking is just... a blur. Finding the money this morning was as much a surprise to me as it was to you. I have to assume I used my powers somehow."

Chloe laughed softly and leaned over to playfully punch Max in the shoulder. "You're a bad girl! I knew I was rubbing off on you. All right, let's get out of here. Somewhere more private where we can talk. I know the perfect place."

Max's eyes widened with a touch of panic and she grabbed Chloe's hand. "No, not the junk yard. Trust me, okay?"

The blue-haired girl was taken aback by the intensity of the plea. "Okay... down girl! Does something bad happen there, or what? I mean, forewarned is forearmed or whatever, right?"

The photographer let out a soft sigh and reached out to put her hand over Chloe's again and leaned in closer. "I promise, I will tell you why later. Let's just go somewhere else instead. The lighthouse or back to your room or... somewhere. Just... not the junk yard or the train tracks."

"That's pretty specific... but sure, I trust you. All right, let's hit the road. I need some serious distractions or I'm going to lose my shit." Chloe stated, hopping out of the booth and heading towards the exit.

Max started pulling out some money to leave for the bill but Joyce spotted it. "Don't you even think about it, Max Caulfield." She stated in a tone that made it clear she wasn't open to negotiations on it.

"Yes ma'am." The photographer squeaked, shuffling towards the door quickly. She paused as a thought occurred to her and walked over to the counter. "Actually, could I get a couple doughnuts to go? And can you put some extra wrapping on one and put it in a separate bag? I want to get one for a friend and it might be a while before they get to it."

"Sure, sweetheart. I am going to have to charge you for the doughnuts though. Free breakfast only goes so far." She informed Max with a kind smile as she pulled open the glass case with the doughnuts and pulling out the ones the girl asked for and then handed them over in exchange for the money. "You girls have a lovely day. I am so happy that you're back in Chloe's life, Max. You have no idea."

"I'm glad too, Joyce. I'll be by as often as I can, I can promise you that. I hope that's okay?" The brunette inquired, though she already knew the answer, she was just being polite.

"You are always welcome, Max. You know that. You don't even have to ask. You're like another daughter to me." Mrs. Price responded.

"I feel the same way, Joyce. You have a good day too." Max stated with a friendly smile before joining Chloe who was looking at her with some impatience and a quizzical raise of her eyebrow. Max ignored the look for the moment though. She walked out to the truck and tossed in one of the bags of doughnuts and then slipped enough cash to pay off Chloe's debt in the other and then she closed the door, motioning to the other girl to hold off on getting inside just yet. "We'll leave in a minute... bidness first, as you said."

"What are you up to, Max?" The blue-haired girl inquired suspiciously, but she followed along to see, noticing that the girl was walking towards the RV. "Whoa... wait. You're not thinking..."

Max held her hand up to get a word in. "Chloe... I don't remember _how_ I picked up this money... but I do know _why_. It's just enough to pay off your debt to Frank. Trust me... we want him off your ass. And he's a good guy... he deserves getting what he's owed. You _do_ trust me, don't you?"

Chloe let out a sharp exhale as she fumed for a few moments and then nodded her head. "All right, SpiderMax. We'll play it your way. Of course I trust you."

The photographer nodded and walked over to Frank, pausing as Pompidou barked as they approached. Max knelt down and held her hand out, knowing it still smelled like her bacon omelettes. She had even saved a piece of sausage for the dog, assuming she was allowed to give it to him. "Hey boy. I know you're looking out for your owner, I just want to talk to him a minute, ok? You're a good boy, aren't you?"

"Hey! Get the fuck way from my dog, little girl!" Frank growled, irritable and obviously a little hung over. "Oh... look who it is. Chloe Fucking Price. And you brought your new little girlfriend along... what the fuck do you want? And you better not be here to buy, you already owe. And I ain't doing business in public like this. You oughta know better."

"Hey, don't look at me, This show is all hers. I'm just along for the ride, Frank." Chloe stated, holding her hands up and trying to look innocent.

"Hmph. Right. Well why don't the both of you turn around and scamper off to school and leave me the fuck alone?" Frank demanded, clearly annoyed.

"I thought you looked hungry... so I got you a doughnut. I saved a piece of sausage for your doggy too, if it's ok I'll give it to him. Or to you and you can give it to him. I think you'll like this doughnut... it looked really yummy." Max stated, shaking the bag in her hand a bit.

"What the fuck are you playing at, girl?" The drug dealer demanded, looking at Max like she was crazy. "Don't make me sic my dog on you. Get out of my face!"

"I'm paying off Chloe's debt. The money is in the bag... along with a doughnut. If you don't want to take it here, then meet us somewhere you feel more comfortable and I'll hand it over. I'm trying to make you happy here, Frank. I want us all to be good. Don't you want that too?" Max inquired, speaking softly so no one else might overhear.

"I'm not doing business here, you crazy bitch. Get out of my face! And get the fuck away from my dog!" Frank stated menacingly.

"Shit... okay." Max sighed and rewound to before she stepped into Frank's view, instead turning around and walking back towards Chloe's truck. "Okay that didn't work the way I thought it would... um... where do you normally meet Frank when you want your... uh... medicine?" She inquired softly.

"He usually parks his RV up by the pier. There's a few other spots he likes, but it's easiest to find him there." The punk girl responded, glancing towards the RV.

"Well last time he followed us when we left the diner so I'm sure he'll do it again. So... go to where he's comfortable doing business and we'll square things away with him." The time traveler suggested. Chloe nodded so they hopped into the truck and headed up to the pier. They parked and started to wait. "Who knew it would be so difficult to hand a drug dealer a wad of cash to get him off your back?" Max joked.

"You do know there were some cops in that diner, right, Max? I mean... think, girlfriend." Chloe chided her with a chuckle.

"Well pardon me, I don't think like a hardened criminal. I mean, I had the money in a bag... but yeah... I get it. Good thing I could reverse time... he was super pissed. The dog was starting to like me though... or at least the sausage in my pocket."

As if on cue, Frank's RV started approaching. He pulled into his usual spot and glared over at them before disappearing into the interior of the motor home. "All right, let's go say hi." Chloe said as she popped open her door.

Max followed along, letting the other girl take the lead this time. She realized how much out of her element she was, but Chloe had years of experience dealing with the man. Frank was waiting for them, standing outside his RV with the door cracked open and Max was sure that Pompidou was just inside, waiting to pounce if his master called for him. She looked over at Chloe, waiting for her to start the dialogue.

"Hey Frank, how's life treating you?" Chloe asked as she sauntered up to the dealer.

"Like shit. Now who the fuck is this, Chloe? I don't like strangers in my business." The man growled as he glared at Max.

"Relax! This is my girl Max. We're all friends here. So chill, all right?" The punk girl held her hands up as she tried to reassure the dealer.

Frank scoffed and looked between the two girls and then focused on Chloe. "Well if you're coming here, you must have my money. Right?"

The blue-haired girl turned to look at Max and gave her a nod. "I have your money, Frank. All of it. It's in this bag. I'm going to hand it over, okay?" Max held the bag out slowly, trying to appear as nonthreatening as possible.

Frank hesitated for a moment and then grabbed the bag and used the tip of his finger to pry it open, seeing cash and a wrapped up doughnut. "Cute." He stated.

Chloe's eyes fixed on the bracelet Frank was wearing and recognized it. "Whoa, wait. Where the fuck did you get that bracelet?!" She demanded, grabbing at the man's wrist.

"Whoa, get the fuck away! Are you crazy?!" The dealer demanded, pushing the girl back away from him as he dropped the bag and reached for his knife.

Before Max could react, Chloe pulled the gun out and pointed it at Frank. "That's Rachel's bracelet! Why the _fuck_ do you have Rachel's bracelet, motherfucker?!"

"Shit!" Max yelled, rewinding in a hurry. This was not how she wanted Chloe to find out about this. And of course, Chloe had brought the damned gun... damn it. She only reversed until just before handing the money over, this time making sure to angle it towards Frank's other side. 

He backed away a step to keep some distance between them and snatched the bag quickly, holding it with his right hand now as he peeked into it with his left, keeping the bracelet out of view. "Cute." He stated. He reached in and pulled the money out far enough to get a general count of it and saw that it should cover Chloe's debt, including interest. He reached in and grabbed the doughnut and then tossed the bag inside the RV hard enough that it landed on his counter. "All right, we're square. Good girl. Now get outta here."

Chloe glanced at Max and started to step away, but paused when she saw the other girl shake her head. "Hold on. This is going to come out one way or another and I want to do it now... as calmly as possible. It's about Rachel." The brunette stated, getting the attention of both Frank and Chloe.

"What about Rachel?" They both asked simultaneously and then looked at each other, clearly annoyed.

"Chloe... I'm sorry but... Frank and Rachel... they were... together. Isn't that right, Frank?" The brunette inquired.

"No fucking way!" Chloe hissed, glaring at Frank as if being told he murdered babies and puppies.

"How the fuck did you know that?" Frank demanded, taking a threatening step towards Max.

"Back off, asshole!" The punk yelled as she started reaching for her gun.

"Stop it, both of you! _Calm down_! You _both_ loved Rachel. You both want justice for her. Okay? So back off and take a breath." Max cried in exasperation. If she had to rewind this one more fucking time... She glared at the both of them until their hackles lowered and they took a step back from one another. At least they were willing to listen. "Okay... so can we talk about this calmly now?"

"Say what you've gotta say, little girl." Frank responded gruffly. Chloe just crossed her arms and turned her head away as she fumed silently.

"I know you and Rachel were close, Frank. I'm not trying to get into your personal business but... you and Chloe both loved her. I'm bringing this up so you can both realize that and not get... hostile about it. We're all friends here, remember?" Max stated, looking between the two as she talked.

"What did you mean when you said we wanted justice for her?" The dealer inquired, his eyes narrowing as he looked at the time traveler.

Shit... would she have to rewind and try this again? "I'm sorry Frank. I'd spare you from knowing this if I could but... we found out what happened to Rachel. She was... she's gone, Frank. I'm so sorry. We're going to send the motherfuckers involved to jail, as soon as we figure out the best way to do it."

She bit her lip gently as she waited for one of them to say something. She needed to know if she should rewind... but they were both just being silent. Damn it... "What can I do to help?" Frank finally asked, his voice breaking slightly with the emotion he was trying to keep down. That got Chloe's attention and she turned to look at him but she remained silent.

"We'll let you know if you can help. I just... I wanted you to know we were doing something. I know you're a good guy, Frank... so I wanted to make sure things between you and Chloe stayed... at least... peaceful, you know?" Max responded.

"Hmm." Frank took a step towards Max and paused there for a moment. He noticed that Max looked at him without a trace of fear in her eyes. "Max, huh? All right. You two Nancy Drews should get on out of here then. We're cool."

Max pulled the sausage link wrapped in a napkin she had in her pocket and held it out. "Here... for your dog."

Frank stared at it for a moment and then reached out slowly to take it. "Thanks... I'm sure he'll like it. You're all right, kid."

Chloe started walking back to the truck without another word. Max could see the girl was tense but she was keeping her cool for the moment at least. It was probably the best she could hope for. The brunette sat down in the truck and a tense silence filled the vehicle as the punk girl just sat there, not even starting the engine. 

A couple minutes passed. Max hesitantly said Chloe's name once and then dropped into silence and waited for some kind of response. "So Rachel straight up lied to my face and was fucking Frank behind my back... is that it?"

"I'm sorry, Chloe." Max responded softly.

"Was she fucking anyone else?" The punk demanded, a hard edge to her voice.

The brunette lowered her head sadly.

"That's a yes. Just tell me. Or should i ask who _wasn't_ she fucking behind my back?" The blue-haired girl growled, clenching her hands on the steering wheel.

"I only know about... Mr. Jefferson. It's... how he got to her." The time traveler informed her in a soft, sympathetic tone.

Chloe lowered her head onto the steering wheel and let out a long, harsh sigh. After a minute or two she straightened up and then started the truck up and pulled out onto the road, driving towards Blackwell Academy. "I wish I could say I was surprised. I always had the feeling I wasn't enough for her, but I fooled myself into thinking it was just her wanting out of this shit hole. We had such big plans... but who am I kidding? Of course she stepped out on me. Everyone abandons me. She fucking did it. Dad fucking did it. And you fucking did it. My life is a big pile of shit, so why am I so _fucking_ surprised?!"

Max's heart was breaking for Chloe, but she knew that no matter what, she was going to go through this heartache. At least this way, no one ended up shot. "Chloe... I was a terrible friend while I was in Seattle. There's no excuse for that. But I want you to know... I bent time and space and went through hell to come back to you. Literally. I know you're angry and you have a right to be... and if you need to take it out on me, then do it. I'm okay with it. But I will never abandon you again."

"There it is again... what did you do, Max?" The blue-haired girl demanded, looking over at Max with a pissed off expression on her face.

The brunette looked over at Chloe in surprise. "What? What do you mean?"

"Don't play innocent, Max. Every time you think I'm not looking, you look guilty as hell. Obviously it's eating away at you, so just spill it. What did you fucking do?!" The punk girl demanded as they sped down the road, taking sharp turns.

The time traveler sighed and lowered her head in remorse, tears started spilling from her eyes. "After everything we tried, the tornado still came to tear apart the city. We were convinced that my powers were the cause. You... you told me to sacrifice you. To go back to when that butterfly photograph was taken and... let you die. I didn't want to... the very idea broke my heart. But... I could see that you would never forgive yourself if I let the town die for you. So... I did it. I went back and... let Nathan kill you. And then I lived through a week, mourning you. Helping Joyce as best I could. I watched them bury you and I wanted to die and be buried with you. But then... the end of the week came and the tornado did too. I hadn't used my powers once, but the fucking storm still came and wiped the town out. And I realized I had let you die for nothing and... I lost it. Somehow... I changed it all back to yesterday morning. I don't know how... but now I remember everything. Including the pain of being without you. And that feeling is killing me inside."

Max fell into silence, noticing that they had pulled up to Blackwell. The brunette let out a soft sigh and turned to look at Chloe whose expression was unreadable. "I am so sorry, Chloe." She stated, feeling words were inadequate but having nothing else to offer.

"Well... now you know how I felt for five fucking years." Chloe finally stated bitterly. "This is your stop."

"Chloe..." Max started to speak, but she knew that angry resolute look well. There was no room for argument here. There was nothing she could say. There was nothing she deserved to say. Nothing could take away what she had done. She stepped out of the truck and watched it speed away. Shit... the doughnuts. She was going to bring them to Kate. Kate...

The time traveler pulled out her phone and swore softly, seeing her ringer had been off and she had a missed call from Kate. She started hurrying to class when she noticed an ambulance. Fear gripped at her heart and she took off running and saw a crowd of sad looking students and some paramedics wading through the crowd with a stretcher with a blanket covered body underneath. "What happened?" She gasped out, though she already knew the answer.

"Kate... she... she jumped." Someone beside her replied and Max couldn't even focus enough to see who it was.

"No... oh, god... no." Max gasped, falling to her knees and covering her face as she started sobbing. She had been too distracted to think about Kate... and now she was gone. She didn't even look up as the crowd started murmuring as a solar eclipse began. She had fucked up everything in such a short amount of time and now she didn't know what to do anymore.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Max's "end of chapter" summary:
> 
> Major Choices:  
> Kate's Question: Alternate "You were not around to advise Kate."  
> Kate's Phone all: "You didn't answer Kate's call."  
> Max and Frank: Alternate: "You paid off Frank"  
> Alternate Frank and Chloe: "You revealed Frank's affair with Rachel without incident."  
> Kate's Fate: Alternate: "You were not there to try to save Kate."  
> Blame: Alternate: "You were not questioned over Kate's fate."
> 
> Minor Choices:  
> Max's Plant: Alternate "You didn't water your plant... perhaps there's still time."  
> Alyssa: "You didn't help Alyssa."  
> Video Link: "You left the link to Kate's video."  
> Taylor: Alternate "You were friendly towards Taylor a day early."  
> Warren and the Movies: "You rejected Warren's invitation."  
> Wall Message: "You didn't write a wall message."  
> Railtracks: "You didn't tamper with the railtracks."  
> Vortex Club Party: "You didn't gain entry to the Vortex Club Party."  
> Warren's Experiment: "You didn't help Warren."  
> David and Jefferson: "You didn't tell on David to Mr. Jefferson."


	5. A Rough Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Max is reeling from Kate's death and drowning in her own guilt, so she turns to the one person she can, the very source of most of her guilt.

The next few hours were a blur to young Max Caulfield as she stumbled through the motions of life with eyes that could no longer shed tears and a heart that was both raw and numb at the same time. Kate was dead because of her... because she hadn't been there to give the girl a shoulder to lean on. To tell her that she was drugged at the Vortex Club party and that the things she had done in the video weren't her fault. She wasn't even there to go up to that roof and talk the girl with the wounded faith down off the ledge. No... she was with Chloe, trying and failing to help her. She screwed up everything she tried... rewind powers or no. It was like one of those towers with the blocks you pulled out and stacked on top... every time she tried to help someone, she pulled a block out... and eventually she just knocked the tower down and fucked up everything.

Max was eventually pulled out of the downward spiral of her remorse-fueled regression when her phone dinged. After a lengthy weary sigh, she reached over and looked at the message... her mother expressing her sorrows over Kate. The photographer's eyes closed and she could clearly see the christian girl's face in her mind's eye, asking her why she wasn't there for her. Blaming her for spending all her time with Chloe instead and calling her a sinner for that relationship. A dry humorless laugh escaped her lips, she couldn't help it. That 'sinful relationship' didn't even exist in this timeline and probably never would. But girlfriends or not, they were best friends first and Max had made a vow to never leave Chloe again, one that she would uphold no matter what else happened. That meant coming back even when the angry punk girl pushed her away.

The brunette stood up and walked over to the window, peering out to look at the stars. At least those looked unchanged. Her gaze dropped down to Lisa and she saw the leaves were starting to wilt and turn brown. "Shit... I really am a bad mama, aren't I?" She picked up her water bottle and gave the thirsty plant a drink. "At least I managed to save one life today." She observed sadly.

Max was feeling restless so she walked out into the halls and looked at the message slates. In the previous timeline they had been messages like 'We'll wait for Kate' and 'Hang in there, Kate!' Now they were messages of remorse and wishes for the girl to rest in peace. Max's stomach twisted up and she had to stop looking at them. She went to the bathroom and washed her face and then stared at her reflection for a minute, sighing at the red puffy eyes that greeted her. Hello Zombie Max.

After leaving the bathroom she walked down the hall and heard Dana calling out for her so she walked in and had an awkward conversation with her about what brought Kate up to that roof. Max didn't have much to say on the matter though besides expressing her sorrows and shared guilt. She ignored the comment about Victoria sneaking out... she already knew that was a dead end that she didn't give a shit about anymore.

The time traveler also ignored Victoria's shameless attempt at blackmailing Mr. Jefferson, simply rewinding time when they spotted her and just kept walking and then did the same to sneak past Principal Wells. She had no time for this bullshit. Instead, she caught a late bus into town, operating mostly on autopilot at this point. Once she was off the bus, she walked to Chloe's house and crawled up to her window and tapped at it and waited, holding her breath as she feared the girl would ignore her... or that her truck being there was a red herring and she was actually out somewhere.

Relief flooded through the brunette as Chloe peered out the window at her. She looked annoyed but Max didn't care. The window opened and she crawled in. "What the fuck do you want, Max?" The punk girl inquired gruffly. Max just threw her arms around the other girl and clung to her for dear life. She sniffled softly, but otherwise couldn't manage a single word. "Max? What's wrong? Is this about what I said earlier? I was pissed. I still am but... I mean, I'll get over it. Come on... don't cry." The punk girl stated awkwardly. Typically she avoided the fallout of her expressions of angst and anger as if they were actually radioactive, yet here it was, throwing itself at her and clinging to her and sobbing. Shit.

"I fucked up, Chloe. Big time. All that time I spent with you, I forgot all about Kate and all the shit she was dealing with. She... she killed herself. In the last timeline I managed to talk her down and saved her... but I wasn't even _there_ this time. And it's _all_ my fault." Max whispered into the blue-haired girl's shoulder as fresh tears spilled from her eyes.

"Oh fuck... I'm sorry, Max." Chloe murmured, wrapping her arms tightly around the weeping photographer. "I was pretty wrapped up in my own drama and I didn't really give you a chance to think about anyone else, did I? Fuck... this is _my_ fault, okay? Not yours"

The brunette shook her head and sighed softly. "No... it's mine. I was trying to fix too much, too quickly and I just fucked up everything. You hate me, Kate is dead, Mr. Jefferson and Nathan are still out there and I'm no closer to figuring out how to stop that goddamned tornado."

"Max, I don't hate you. I could _never_ hate you. Do you understand me? I love you too much. I'm angry and hurt, but I also don't know anything about what you've been through. I'm sorry that I asked you to... to sacrifice me in that other crazy timeline. That was a shitty thing to do. And you had to live through that misery, with all that guilt; I can't even imagine... if I had to sacrifice you, I don't think I would have the strength to." Chloe sighed as she looked away from Max, not really knowing how to reconcile her emotions. She was angry and bitter but also sorrowful and compassionate about the trauma that Max had endured, and all sorts of other confusing emotions on top.

"It was an impossible choice... Chloe. And I made the wrong one... or there was no right one. I don't... I don't know anymore. I'm just stumbling blindly from one mistake to the next. The only thing I know is..." The brunette buried her face further into the punk girl's shoulder and murmured "I need my Chloe." So softly, it was almost missed. Then a bit louder "Can I..."

"Come on... we'll get this shit sorted in the morning. You need rest." The blue-haired girl stated, pulling the other girl over to the bed and lying down and then she simply held her, listening to her soft whimpers and sobs and feeling powerless to do anything about it. Power... now there was an interesting concept. Max had these crazy time powers and all they seemed to give her was misery... but she persevered because they allowed her to help. They had saved Chloe's life and it seemed like that alone made them worthwhile to the shy little photographer. 

Was she a bit salty that Max had sacrificed her to try to save the town? Perhaps... but she had apparently asked for it, which she wouldn't have done lightly. If someone asked her to sacrifice Max, she knew how soul crushing that would be and couldn't imagine having the strength to do it, even if it meant the whole world would burn. Did that make Max care about her less... or was she just a stronger person? She preferred to think it was the latter.

It was hard to think of Max as being strong at that moment though, with her softly whimpering and shivering despite the warm night air. How much hell had the girl been through in all these timelines she had survived? Including being kidnapped, drugged and who knows what else by that creep who took Rachel. Chloe looked down at the brunette's troubled face in the dim evening light. Despite the circumstances, this felt... right. 

There was always an edge of awkwardness and unfamiliarity with Rachel, which while part of the appeal of being with her, it also made things feel slightly off. That girl was always reaching out, searching for something, never satisfied. She tried everything, which was exciting... but also exhausting just trying to keep up. Sometimes Chloe had just wanted to listen to some soft music and smoke and cuddle... but Rachel would want to go dancing or play some crazy game. And the punk girl went with it because it was exciting and dangerous, which she liked... but there was nothing to temper them, nothing to ground her. 

Perhaps that is why it wasn't a complete shock to learn that Rachel had other lovers behind her back. She could never just be satisfied. Chloe still cared deeply for her, but she was also angry and resentful. Emotions were funny like that... they were a tangled mess that ebbed and flowed. You could love someone even when they hurt you.

She had her attachments to Rachel, even now... and she mourned that loss, but she had a much deeper attachment to Max. Awkward, lovable Max who offered to go back in time and warn Chloe of the danger to Rachel's life, even knowing that it might prevent her from moving back to Arcadia Bay... even knowing all the things Rachel had done behind her back. Just because she wanted to make her Chloe happy. That... was love. And that was the same reason why she had burned that photo and removed the temptation... she could never give up Max, no matter how angry and resentful she might get at times. 

With all the crap she had gone through for the past five years, she could get explosively angry and bitter. She had been lost since Rachel disappeared and only now was she starting to find purchase again... and that scared her. Letting someone in was difficult, especially when she was deathly afraid of getting abandoned again. But Max had bent time and space to come back to her... if she couldn't trust in that, what could she trust in? This was all... really confusing. And as Max had shown, even knowing all the answers, you could still fail the test and let people down.

It took a while for the blue-haired girl to fall asleep, but soon after she did the time traveler jerked upright, crying out Chloe's name. Chloe wrapped her arms around the brunette again, whispering that she was there to the terrified girl as she sobbed. "Hey... I'm here, Max. I'm right here." She stated soothingly. She couldn't help but be reminded of all the nights she had woken up from nightmares about Rachel over the last six months... and before that, her father over the past five years. Her words that afternoon that Max knew what she had gone through were true... but she regretted them now. She could be so heartless and cruel at times... but it all stemmed from a wounded heart that just cared too much. It was difficult to hold on to the notion that Max had forgotten about her over the last five years, but that still didn't excuse it. Damn it.

"I'm so sorry, Chloe. I'm sorry... I'll never leave you again, even if the world falls down around us. Please, don't leave me." The brunette whispered somewhat incoherently, quivering and sobbing in an apparent delirium. Nothing that Chloe said seemed to penetrate her psyche and that was worrying her. "Don't kill Chloe... don't take my Chloe... damn you to hell, Mr. Jefferson. Eat shit and die, Nathan." The photographer mumbled, seemingly lost in a nightmare.

Chloe hated feeling this way... guilty and helpless and concerned and scared. But however she felt, she could tell that Max felt worse. She worried that the traumas of multiple timelines might be proving to be too much for her. She might be SuperMax, but her heart was still fragile and human. The only thing the punk girl could do was hold tight onto the brunette and whisper soothing words into her ear, reassuring her again and again that she was there, that she was alive, that she was with her. Finally after what seemed to be an eternity, the scared little doe settled down, calming into a stillness. Chloe waited for a while to see if the nightmares would return and then gently kissed the other girl's brow and finally drifted back into slumber herself.

The alarm went off as the morning sun peeked through the window. Max sighed softly and stirred as she started waking up. The same music as the morning after she and Chloe had made love for the first time in the previous timeline... of course it was. Such sweet nostalgia... stained by the events of the previous day. It was funny in an ironic sort of way that in the previous timeline, they had the time of their lives and then took their relationship to another level. Now, because she had tried to fix everything quickly, she had just hurt Chloe and pushed her away... and they were no closer to figuring out the mystery of the storm.

The brunette's attention was pulled out of her inner monologue when the blue-haired girl began to move, reaching down for her ashtray and lighting up a cigarette. Max got a better look at her and noticed she still looked pretty tired... more so than usual for someone who was most definitely not a morning person. "Sorry... did I keep you up last night? You still look like you need a few more hours."

"It's fine." Chloe stated a bit shortly. She caught the guilty look on Max's face and let out a soft sigh. "Just... give me a few minutes to wake up. We've got some plans to make. We're taking those fuckers down. That teacher guy and Nathan Fucking Prescott. They're going to pay for what they did to Rachel." The punk girl caught the look on the brunette's face despite her turning her head away. "For what they did to you too, Max. Even if it was in a weird alternate reality or whatever."

"And to you." Max stated firmly, picturing Chloe falling to the ground with a gunshot wound in her stomach when Nathan shot her and to her head when Mr. Jefferson did... but she was also thinking of what nearly was, when Nathan drugged Chloe and was going to take pictures of her... and possibly more than that. The very idea sickened her, that her blue-haired angel might have suffered the same fate as Rachel.

The punk sighed as she stamped out the cigarette and slowly sat up, drawing her knee up and resting her arm on it as she contemplated the situation. "Okay... how did you take care of them in the other... timelines or whatever?"

"Well... it's a bit complicated. Mr. Jefferson killed Nathan to tie up loose ends. You got shot and I got drugged and I woke up, tied to a chair in Mr. Jefferson's Dark Room. And then I got a foot loose to pull a cart close and used a photo to travel back to when he was taking the pictures of me... and I kicked the cart which damaged more photos so he left them out and um... I used another one to.." Max paused, getting lost in her own memories. 

"Okay... let me try this again. I used a series of photos to travel back to the start of things and I sent a message to David telling him where the Dark Room was and he investigated it and called the police... but then you called me to say the storm was still coming so I used another photo to travel back and I had to destroy the first photo I took and... hmm... but because I destroyed my photo, Mr. Jefferson got pissed and burned all my photos so that timeline got wiped out and... wait... so I never sent the message to David and..." The brunette shook her head, thoroughly confused. Bad enough she had competing memories for the same time period, but now she couldn't get it all straight in her head.

"Whoa, focus Mad Max. Let's break it down to the simple and straightforward. If you never sent Step-douche a message, how did Mr. Jefferson get arrested?" Chloe inquired, putting up her hands to stop the time traveler's confusing back and forth with temporal manipulation.

Max shook her head, trying to puzzle that out. "Wait... when we were going through all the evidence and tracked down the barn that Nathan was visiting the night that Kate was drugged... we had that information up on the computer. David must have been looking for you and seen it... he said I led him there when he came to rescue me, but I was thinking he meant I sent him a message but that timeline didn't happen. So... I think he might have been coming to save me even without me going through all that. But there's no way to know... it could have been one of the altered events that made him look in the first place. Do you see why I try my best not to use the photos to change stuff? Things get super weird. And even worse it gives me an entire timeline of altered memories that I remember on top of what originally happened and it's just a mess."

The punk girl nodded as she puzzled out the situation. "Okay... but pointing David to the barn in that one timeline did work, right? So we just have to do that again. And presumably evidence there will get Nathan arrested too. Uh... right?"

Max considered that and then gave a hesitant nod. "I... think so. There were photos that Nathan took of Rachel when he overdosed her... and he also took some when he... when he buried her. Because he's a sick fucker." The brunette looked disgusted for a few moments before she shook her head to refocus. "But how do we tell David about the barn? We had evidence gathered last time. We had David's intel, we had Frank's buyer information and we had Nathan's cell phone. Even if we gathered all that up again, I don't know how much of it would be admissible in court. We don't want Mr. Jefferson getting released on a technicality... and we should leave no loopholes for Nathan to buy himself out of."

Chloe sighed and looked over at where she had David's gun stashed. "Are you sure we can't just shoot the both of them in the head? That would take care of them."

"Sure... and then one or both of us would be going to jail. I'd like to avoid that, thank you. Even if we wanted to, we have to be free to figure out how to stop the storm... if we even can." The brunette stated grimly.

"Well I hate to say it but... I think this is a little outside of our realm of expertise, SuperMax. I really don't know what to do. Any ideas?" Chloe inquired.

Max thought about it for a minute and then nodded. "I've got one idea. But you're not going to like it. I think we have to loop in David."

"No fucking way!" The punk girl protested vehemently.

The photographer raised her hands in a calming gesture. "Okay... settle down, Bluebeard. I know you've got your problems with him... and I'm not saying they're not deserved, but I _do_ know that he cares about you. Plus he totally saved my life, remember? I'm not saying we should tell him about my powers, I'm just saying... we can make up a believable story. I can point him in the right direction... and he'll know better than us when and how to involve the police. We can get those fuckers. You just have to trust David. Can you do that, Chloe?"

Chloe fumed silently for a minute before she asked, "How can you be so sure that he cares about me, as you claim? All he ever does is give me a hard time. He treats me like I'm a soldier under his command. I can believe he cares about my mom, but I think he'd prefer I weren't in the picture."

"Chloe... I don't think he knows any other way to act with you. And... don't take this the wrong way, but I doubt you make it very easy for him. If you're always in his face, of course he'll come down on you." Max said as gently as she could. "But... when he rescued me, he asked me where you were. At first I told him... that Mr. Jefferson had... that he had..." She took a breath to strengthen her resolve. "That you were gone. David was _devastated_ , Chloe... and he killed Mr. Jefferson right there in front of me. He was tied up and unconscious and David... he was so heartbroken he killed him. For you. I reversed time and lied to him after that... but that doesn't change that he did it, Chloe. He loves you... he just has a shitty way of showing it because you've both settled into this antagonistic relationship. Think about it. If he didn't care, he wouldn't try. I'm not saying give him a free pass but... cut the guy a little slack. For me?"

"Damn it, Max." Chloe hissed, crossing her arms and pouting a bit. Why did she have to pull that card? "Fine... I'll try to refrain from calling him an asshole to his face... unless he really deserves it. Or he looks at me funny. That's the best you're going to get out of me. We can play it your way. For now."

Max nodded in relief and looked down at her clothes... she had been too emotional to even pull them off before she fell asleep. But she did feel better... a night in Chloe's arms was a healing balm for her soul. The rest of her feelings... all the guilt and heartache, that could wait. It was time to put on her big girl pants and take care of business. Or... something like that. She glanced at the closet, considering doing what she did last time and change into Rachel's clothes but... perhaps it was best to just keep wearing what she was for now until she got to her dorm room to shower and change. "I'll head down and say hi to Joyce. Then... I don't know. In the last timeline we went to break into Frank's RV today, but we don't need to do that. I guess we could go to Blackwell and talk to David? Or do you think we should wait until he comes home tonight?"

"Whatever. I don't know." Chloe stated in a tired and noncommittal tone.

The brunette looked over at her for a moment and then turned away. "All right. See you downstairs." She could tell that the punk girl had a lot on her mind so it was best to just leave her be for a bit while she sorted it out.

Max stopped in the bathroom to wash the stale tears and sleep off her face and brush her teeth with Chloe's toothbrush... a habit she seemed to be forming, and then she made her way down the steps. The smell of breakfast rose up to greet her and she couldn't help but smile. "Good morning, Joyce." The brunette greeted her.

"Well! A good morning to you, too. It's so good to have you under my roof again, Max. How are you, sweetheart?" Joyce inquired with a friendly smile on her face.

"I'm... okay. Yesterday was pretty rough but being here made me feel so much better." The photographer responded with a troubled look on her face as she thought about Kate.

"Oh... I heard about that girl. I am _so_ sorry, Max. Such a tragedy. All we can do is keep living our lives, though. Speaking of which, tell me what you want to chow on." The waitress inquired, shaking her head sadly at the start and ending with a compassionate smile.

"I'm dying for some of your famous pancakes." Max responded eagerly. It wasn't until after she said it that she thought it might have been poor word choice considering what happened to Kate. She was about to rewind time but Joyce didn't call any attention to it.

"I thought you would have missed those. You ate more than William, and he loved them..." She responded, a sad smile touching her lips as she thought back to those better, simpler days.

"I remember. We would race each other to grab them from the stack." The brunette added, amused by the happy memory.

"So this time you can help me with the ingredients. I need you to grab me the eggs and milk." Joyce requested as she started to gather the other ingredients she needed.

Max inwardly laughed as the events had played out fairly closely to the way they had in the previous timeline. She had been in a bacon and eggs mood that morning though, but she wasn't going to miss an opportunity for pancakes again. After gathering up the ingredients, she chatted with Joyce while helping to mix up the batter and then sat down when told to, knowing better than to argue with Chloe's mom. She licked her lips in anticipation as the plate of hot pancakes was set down in front of her. "It looks so delicious, Joyce. Thank you!"

"Now you eat up, sweetheart." Joyce commanded gently, smiling as she watched the girl dig in with relish. They both looked up as Chloe sauntered down, her hair still wet from a shower. "And good morning to you, Chloe."

"Did you guys have a bonding session about how fucked up I am?" The punk girl inquired, as usual trying to stir things up a bit.

"More about how awesome you are." Max replied, blushing a bit and looking away as Joyce looked at her curiously.

"We were just reminiscing. It's lovely to have Max here again. Now how about you just join us and eat breakfast and not start a fight for once?" Mrs. Price requested, trying to be as patient as she could.

"Whatever." Chloe grumbled, grabbing a few pancakes off the stack and walking back over to the kitchen table and plopping down, dousing the pancakes in a river of syrup before she started to wolf them down.

"It wouldn't kill you to say thank you, Chloe." Joyce stated with a sigh.

"Thnku." The punk girl stated with a mouth full of pancake, earning a giggle from Max and an eye roll from Joyce.

The door opened up and David walked in, looking a little irritated. "Nice breakfast." He grumbled.

"David, you're back already?" Joyce inquired.

"I have to take a nap after writing up vandalism reports last night." The security guard answered gruffly. "Some little shitass punks broke in to the swimming pool. This is what happens at these P.C. bullshit colleges. Entitled students taking over the campus!"

That caught Max's attention. She knew that it wasn't her and Chloe so... someone else? Or was this just a weird time echo? She had no clue. Then again, she did remember seeing a few signs that someone was having a party. Some half eaten pizzas, the fresh coffee in the lifeguard room at the pool area... maybe she and Chloe hadn't been the only ones up to no good that night. Maybe Victoria, before she tracked down Mr. Jefferson? Or some of the boys, more likely. It didn't really matter. She turned to look at Chloe, silently asking for permission to talk to David. Chloe just rolled her eyes slightly and shrugged as she concentrated on her breakfast.

"Do you know for sure it was Blackwell students?" Joyce inquired.

"Who else would do it? And I'm going to bust them!" He growled. He fixed his eyes on Max then and he approached her, leaning down to look her in the eye. "It figures that you'd be here. Well? What about you? Where were _you_ last night?"

"Here. After what happened to Kate..." Max lowered her eyes. She didn't even have to lie about that part. She noticed David's expression change slightly. Sympathy, but he hid it quickly, keeping up his hardass exterior. "Mr. Madsen... we... I need to talk to you. I'm sorry you're tired but... I think you're going to want to hear this." She had glanced over at Chloe when she started to talk and saw the shake her Chloe's head at the 'we'. Okay... she'd play it her way.

David folded his arms and glared down at the brunette. "You have something to confess? Let's hear it, girlie."

"Please... sit down. Before Kate... before that happened, I talked to Kate about what happened to her at the Vortex Club party. She was drugged. Nathan Prescott told her that he was taking her to the ER but she said she was sure they didn't go, but they did go... somewhere." Max stated, enough of what she was saying was the truth to make it believable, or at least she hoped.

The security guard frowned and shared a look with Joyce before sitting down. "Nathan Prescott? I knew that slimy little bastard was up to something. Did she tell you anything else? Anything that I can use?"

"I... I'm not sure. She said she remembered smelling trees. And hay. Something about a barn and then being carried down a trap door and then being in a room with a bright white light. She was really out of it so it was all really jumbled. I didn't know what to make of it. She wanted to ask if I thought she should go to the police but I wasn't sure... it seemed like it would be her word against the Prescott's... and since she was drugged, it wasn't very reliable. Maybe I should have told her to do it anyway... I don't know." Max spun the tail, basing the experience partly on what Kate had said as well as borrowing heavily from her own experience. She paused thoughtfully and then added, "She said she heard another voice that she at first thought was a doctor. A man's voice. She said it sounded like Mr. Jefferson, the photography teacher. I don't know if she was dreaming, or maybe Nathan ran into him or... I don't know."

The wheels were obviously turning in David's head. She was fairly sure she had given him what he needed to make the connection to the barn he had tailed Nathan to. She wasn't sure how motivated he was to investigate it quickly though. "I'll look into it. Thank you for bringing this to me, Max. That was... brave." He stated, softening slightly, especially knowing that she probably considered him a bully after his encounter with Kate. "I knew something was off about Kate but I didn't know what. I didn't see... I wish I had made the connection. She might still be..." He paused for a moment and then let out a soft sigh. "Was there anything else? Anything at all? These are the Prescotts we're talking about here."

Max looked over at Chloe. "Was there anything you wanted to add, Chloe? About Nathan?" She prodded gently.

"No." Chloe stated flatly, scowling down at her now empty syrup stained plate.

Max sighed softly and pulled her chair towards the punk girl and leaned over to whisper pleadingly in her ear. "Please, Chloe. You can skip the part about the bar and all that, and why you met up with him. He doesn't need to know that, but he does need to know about him slipping something in your drink. Trust me, okay? Please?"

The blue-haired girl scowled at her, hating the guilt trip. "Fine! Fine." She hissed as she did her best to ignore the concerned looks that Joyce gave her and the confused stare from David. "He did it to me too. I was... talking to him. About Rachel... he was friends with her and we were just..." Chloe sighed and looked over at the beer bottle that David had left on the table the night before when he was called away. A drink sounded really good right about then.

"I'm here, Chloe." Max whispered, reaching out to hold her hand gently.

"Chloe? What are you saying?" Joyce inquired.

The punk girl sighed and looked at the brunette pleadingly, wishing she didn't have to do this. Max just nodded and squeezed her hand. Damn it. "Nathan... slipped something into my drink. The next thing I know I was waking up, groggy as shit... and he was coming towards me with a camera and a creepy smile. I tried to kick him in the balls but just broke a lamp instead. That startled him enough that I could just bum rush out the door and got the hell out of there. I didn't want to say anything because... I mean... I was drinking and in his room. I know how that sounds." Chloe stated bitterly.

"Chloe..." Joyce stated, her tone halfway between disappointed and concerned.

The punk girl's hands clenched and she turned her gaze over to Max. "Are you happy now?" She growled softly under her breath. "Rewind. You had better fucking rewind this, Max. Do you hear me? Look at my mother. I can't handle disappointing her this bad."

"She loves you and so do I, Chloe. I'm sorry." The brunette murmured.

David slammed his fist on the table, startling them all. He didn't say anything at first, so of course Chloe took it the wrong way. "I knew he wouldn't believe me. Thanks a fucking lot, Max." The blue-haired girl hissed, staring down at her lap and trying unsuccessfully to pull her hand out of Max's grip.

"David..." Joyce started to say, also uncertain about the man's reaction.

"I'll take care of this. Chloe... I'll keep your name out of it. You don't need to be dragged through the mud any more than you already have been." David finally stated, his voice grim with a hard edge from barely contained anger. He put a hand on her shoulder, ignoring it when she flinched, trying to withdraw from him. "You're a brave soldier, Chloe." He stated softly. He looked at Joyce and nodded at her. "I'll take care of this." He stated before walking out, determination on his face.

Chloe shook slightly in her seat, still shocked that David had not only believed her, but sprang into action to defend her. It was an odd sensation. She... hated him a little less. And that was weird. "He... he believed me." She stated in wonder.

Max wrapped her arms tightly around the blue-haired girl and simply held her... it was her turn to comfort Chloe now. "Thank you, Chloe. You did the right thing."

Joyce reached over and rested a hand on Chloe's and gave her a compassionate look. "I'm so sorry, sweetheart. I had no idea. You just take it easy for now." Her attention was drawn to the television in the kitchen as she saw a news report. Dozens of beached whales were washing up on the shore. "Things just keep getting crazier and crazier..."

"You have no idea." The time traveler responded softly, placing a gentle kiss on Chloe's brow that didn't go unnoticed by Joyce, though she didn't call attention to it.

"He actually fucking believed me. Shit... am I going to have to stop calling him step-douche now?" Chloe grumbled.

"One step at a time, Chloe." Max responded in an amused tone. "One step at a time."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A plan is in motion... but is it ever that easy? Only time will tell.
> 
> Max's "end of chapter" summary:
> 
> Major Choices:  
> Handicap Fund: Alternate: "You acquired the money by other means."  
> Double Dare: Alternate: "You did not have the option to kiss Chloe. Sadface."  
> David vs Chloe: Alternate: "You did not have to take sides."  
> Frank's Dog: Alternate: "You left Frank and his dog alone. Pompidou mourns the lost opportunity at a getting a bone."  
> David's Gun: "Chloe has David's gun."  
> Alternate: "You convinced Chloe to share what happened to her in Nathan's room to David."
> 
> Minor Choices:  
> Max's Plant: "Lisa is alive."  
> Warren's Exam: "You didn't 'help' Warren with his exam."  
> Vortex Club Party 1/2: "You are not on the Vortex Club's party list."  
> Vortex Club Part 2/2: "You didn't change the Vortex Club party list."  
> Phone Message: Alternate: "There was no message to erase because you girls kept your noses clean. Good for you."  
> Alyssa: "You didn't help Alyssa."  
> Homeless Woman: "You didn't warn the homeless woman."  
> Photo in the Past: "You didn't take a photo in the past... or even visit it."  
> Max's Mark: "You didn't leave a mark on the fireplace. Go on, grab the photo... leave graffiti in the past. It's fun."  
> Alternate: "You were affectionate with Chloe in front of Joyce."


	6. Visions of the Storm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Max and Chloe bond a bit before it's time for Max to get back to Blackwell. It's never really that simple though, is it?

Max and Chloe were back up in Chloe's room, the former on the computer trying to research storms, cause and effect, chaos theory and anything else she could find. The latter was reclining on her bed, smoking a cigarette, idly watching as the smoke billowed up and crept towards the cracked window. "So how goes the search, dude?" Chloe inquired as she blew smoke rings to amuse herself.

Max sighed and rested her forehead against the palm of her hand as she turned her head to look over at the other girl. "Nothing helpful. Most of this I already read in a previous timeline. It doesn't make sense... the only scientific explanation for the storm seems to be due to my time powers... but if not using them still results in a storm, that either means the storm isn't just tied to the timeline I'm currently in but that it's a result of all of them collapsing inwards... or there's some outside cause that we haven't discovered yet."

"Or... it's magic!" The punk girl suggested, making her fingers uncurl explosively to emphasize her point.

"Right." Max agreed with a chuckle. "Although, I suppose if superpowers exist... why not magic? This is all way over my head." She shook her head and let out a soft sigh.

Chloe looked over at her and decided she needed a distraction. "So speaking of the previous timelines... what were we up to at about this time? You know... 'before'." She made a similar gesture as the one she used for magic, but this time using both of her hands. She noticed the guilty look returned. "No, not the one where I was dead.. the... original one. Or... whatever. You know what I mean." Still with the guilt? Hmm...

"Well... I spent most of the day in an alternate timeline. I... Are you sure you want to know? You'll probably get angry with me again." The brunette inquired, wincing a bit and glancing over at the punk girl.

"Look, you promised to be truthful with me, even if I didn't like what I hear. The least I can do is try my best to not get all up on your crack about it. I get it, you did some shit you're not proud of. You made mistakes and you had to make some impossible choices. I can take it. _We_ can take it." Chloe assured her as she lifted up on her hands, reclining back on them casually now to get a better look at the time traveler.

Max let out a soft sigh and nodded her head. "Well, remember how I said we didn't have to investigate Frank this time? That's what we did in the morning. And that's when you found out about... Rachel and Frank. And you lost your shit and you took it out on me."

The blue-haired girl gave the brunette an apologetic smile. "Well... I guess some things never change. Sorry about that, dude. My bad."

The photographer giggled softly and gave the other girl a patient smile. "The Time Master forgives you." She stated with a flourish of her hand and a little bow.

"So gracious, m'lady." Chloe stated in a dramatic fashion as she leaned forward to do a silly little curtsy movement where she sat.

Max giggled and couldn't help but smile fondly for a few moments before her gaze became downcast again. "I felt like shit, as you can probably imagine and I ended up looking at this old photo that Joyce gave me... the last one that William took. And... that's how I found out about my ability to step into the time captured in a photograph. I desperately wanted to give you your dad back... so I... I tossed his car keys into the back yard. When he couldn't find them, I told him to take the bus. And... just like that, William didn't die in that car crash. And so everything changed."

"Holy shit! You... you saved dad?" The punk exclaimed, riveted now, leaning forward as if about to jump off the bed to tackle Max and get her to spill all her secrets.

"I did. That new timeline was... kind of weird. We kept in touch a little more but I was... kind of a jerk, I think. I was hanging out with the Vortex Club... and you..." Max's eyes closed as the memory of Chloe in that wheelchair washed over her, tugging at her heartstrings anew. "William gave you a car for your sweet 16... and you ended up getting into a wreck. You were... paralyzed from the neck down and you were slowly dying, in excruciating pain. I spent the day with you... and despite your... condition, we had a nice day. It was sad... but it made you so happy."

Chloe shook her head and whispered in awe. "That is so messed up. So I had dad back... but I was the one dying. That... that must have been hard on you... and my parents."

Max nodded. "They were doing everything they could to help you. Working two jobs and drowning in debt. But they loved you, so they did it without complaint. But... you asked me..." Her breath caught in her throat as she let out a choked sigh. "You asked me to... end your life. To let you die peacefully with those happy memories, rather than slowly and painfully. And... I did. It broke my heart, but I couldn't stand the thought of you being that miserable. I don't know if I did the right thing or not... it was an impossible choice. I just knew that I had to fix things. I'm sorry, I took William away from you again to change things back."

The other girl sniffled and ran her fingers through her blue hair. "Shit... that must have been... I'm sorry that you had to go through that, Max. I know it wasn't easy. I don't know if I would have done anything different if I were in your place. To watch you suffer like that? It would kill me. I... I understand."

"And then I sacrificed you again. I'm a _horrible_ person, Chloe. I can't live in a world that doesn't have you in it... but I still gave you up to try to save the town. I didn't want to, but you begged me to. I didn't think you could handle the guilt... I can't handle it either, but I'd rather I be the one to suffer, not you. You've suffered enough." Max choked out as she started sobbing in earnest.

Chloe pulled the brunette into her arms again, letting out a sharp exhale as she tried to keep her own shit together and comfort the girl. "We've both suffered... and we're both here for each other. So stop beating yourself up, okay? I forgive you. I know you never intended to cause me any pain. It's okay, Max..."

The photographer sniffled and pulled away enough to look into the other girl's blue eyes. How she wanted to just lean in and kiss her... to drown herself in Chloe Price. Why didn't she? She already knew that it had worked out in a previous timeline. The timing was kind of crappy then too but it still worked. As she well knew, there was no perfect time... just what you made of what time you had. Ah, but it was the guilt. No matter what Chloe said, she felt that she didn't deserve her anymore. Maybe someday she would be able to move past those feelings... but not on her own. So instead she pressed her face into the punk girl's shoulder and just inhaled the scent of her. Cigarettes and the underlying scent of a rather generic smelling soap. She imagined there would have been a marijuana smell from the girl's 'wake and bake' but she had obviously showered _after_ blazing. Smart girl.

Chloe felt a bit confused as for a moment there it seemed like there was a real smoldering moment between them... but then it passed. Maybe she was reading too much into it... or it was hopeful thinking on her part. Damn it. Friends or _hella friends_ though, she would always be there for her Max. "I'm starting to think you keep crying like this just for a chance to grope me." She joked.

"Totally." The brunette responded in an amused tone. She didn't really disagree with that though... "That's what I'm doing."

"Good thing I'm easy." The punk girl quipped, continuing the joke.

Max giggled. "Yeah, good thing, because I've got no game at all."

Chloe scoffed softly and muttered under her breath. "Yeah... tell me about it." She smirked at the adorable little time traveler and covered her previous comment with a louder one. "Good thing you're so cute, huh? Just give some bro the ol' doe eyes and they're ready to eat you up."

The photographer glanced away a bit awkwardly. "Uh... right. The... bros." What the hell was she doing? She had no clue. Why was this so hard?

The punk girl poked the brunette teasingly. "I'm sure they're all over you, you're just too oblivious to notice. That Warren guy was practically drooling on you when I rode up the other day. At least until Nathan started with the beat down."

Max pulled away a bit self-consciously, her gaze fixed on nothing in particular, just down towards the ground. "Right."

Chloe felt really confused now. "Sorry... did I hit a nerve? I do that."

The photographer shook her head. "No, I'm just... lost in thought, I guess. We had a similar conversation last time... we broke into Blackwell to get a hold of the student files while we were investigating Rachel's disappearance and then you talked me into breaking into the pool for a midnight swim. It was really fun and we had a good talk, I think. There are a lot of memories that you don't get to have this time. We had a lot of fun in the junkyard... shooting bottles with trick shots. Walking along the train tracks and I totally saved you from a train when you got your foot stuck. I wish I could share those memories with you."

The blue-haired girl frowned and rested her arms on her knees, giving the other girl her space. "Well... why didn't you? You seemed really freaked out when the subject of the junkyard came up. It wasn't just because you said Frank followed us there, was it? Because we could have gone after you paid him off."

Max shook her head sadly. "You're going to find this out soon anyway. Rachel... her body is buried there. After Nathan overdosed her, he... he buried her there. I just didn't feel right about having fun there when she was there, you know? We didn't know last time. Ignorance... is bliss."

"Holy shit, are you fucking kidding me?! I was practically on top of Rachel the whole _fucking_ time?! God, that's... that's just so _fucked up_. I wanna strangle Nathan! That slimy piece of shit!" Chloe fumed with her hand clenched.

The brunette reached out to stroke her hand against the punk girl's back, seeking to console and calm her a bit. "Sorry Chloe."

"No... you did the right thing. I would have been traumatized if you had let us dance around on her grave when you knew it was there." Chloe stated, shivering slightly at the thought.

"I could never do that." Max affirmed, cringing at the thought.

"We'd have to get you dancing first." The punk teased, changing the subject to one a little less grim to get her mind off of it.

The photographer laughed softly. "It wouldn't be as hard as you think. That first crazy day in your room, some thrasher music came on and you started dancing while you blazed a joint and you got me to dance. It was fun... though it ended quickly when David got home and went ballistic. But for a good ten seconds there..." She awkwardly gyrated a bit while shaking her arms, throwing a smile Chloe's way.

"No way. This I've gotta see!" Chloe jumped up and turned the music on, finding a good song to shake her ass to. "All right, Super Max! Shake that bony white ass!" She yelled as she danced with absolutely no inhibitions.

Max couldn't help but laugh, the first real joyous laugh since... she couldn't even remember when. The first timeline? The night they broke into the pool, maybe? She couldn't even remember... all the memories were just a fragmented mess. It didn't help that a lot of her memories felt like they happened to someone else... which they basically did. Like the alternate timeline where William survived. She could remember slowly growing apart from Chloe as she lived in Seattle. There wasn't the death of Chloe's father hanging over them so rather than being super awkward and having a bunch of half-written letters that never sounded right until too much time had passed, it was just a slow fade out instead. But that alternate Max had kept in touch somewhat... the occasional text or email and sending Chloe postcards and photos. Especially after her accident. 

She remembered feeling... guilty about not keeping in touch more so she started putting in more of an effort, but it was super awkward so even after coming to Blackwell, she kept her distance because she knew things would be weird between them. Such a shitty friend she could be. Amusingly enough, it was that alternate Max who was the rebel... casting her lot in with the Vortex Club to fill the gap in for the dumb friends who had filled the gap for Chloe while she was in Seattle. She was even friends with Victoria and... gag... Nathan. They brought out the worst in her and she was turning into... well... a snobby bitch. She wouldn't have thought herself capable of it, but apparently without the sadness and loneliness stemming from William's death affecting her, she didn't mature early and become the grounded little hipster wallflower that she was now. Weird.

"Come on, you can do better than that!" Chloe yelled, breaking the brunette's train of thought by grabbing her hands and jumping around, guiding her in a hip-shaking thrash dance. "Yeah! Work it, girlfriend!" She laughed as Max blushed and followed along as best she could. And then the song ended and switched to a softer, melodic song of love and loss and the girls collapsed back on the bed in a fit of giggles. Chloe lifted herself up first and leaned over Max, sharing a happy smile with her and delighting in the way her cheeks flushed from the exertion. "You've got some moves, Caulfield." She stated with a flirtatious smile.

"I was just trying to keep up with _you_ , Price." Max responded, still giggling softly. She looked up at Chloe and she reminded her of a wolf closing in on a vulnerable deer... except didn't she want to be caught? Didn't she want the big bad wolf to claim her and devour her whole and make them one? That... thought made her blush.

"Max..." Chloe murmured as she gave the other girl a smoldering stare, leaning down slowly, ready to capture and claim her prize. The brunette swallowed audibly but she was frozen, like a deer in the headlights. She simply gazed up at her blue-haired angel as she closed in for the kill.

"Chloe! Doesn't Max need to be getting back to school?" Joyce called up a friendly reminder from downstairs.

"Shit... way to ruin the moment, _mom_." The punk girl muttered. She sighed as she watched Max hurrying to gather her things together, awkwardly blushing and avoiding eye contact. "I guess this means you're not gunna blow off class and misbehave with me."

Max paused after slinging her satchel over her shoulder, turning to look at the rebellious teen. She could almost see the options floating over her head. 'Stay and goof off with Chloe' or 'Go to class like a responsible person', or... whatever. She wanted to stay so badly... or slip off somewhere with the other girl and just forget everything for a while. But she wanted to try to talk to Warren about the storm. "Next time, Chloe. I have homework to turn in and I'm going to pick Warren's big brain about the storm, see if he has any ideas besides Chaos Theory related to my powers."

Chloe sighed. "Fine, I get it. You're picking the boy toy over your best friend." She grumbled.

The photographer sighed and rubbed at her face with her hand. "Chloe... come on. Don't do this to me again. You know it's not like that. I'd choose you over anyone, every time."

The punk girl got a little pissed off and got in her friend's face. "You don't want to pull that card with me, Max Caulfield. I seem to recall you crying on my shoulder as you told me you let me _die_. It seems like you picked _everyone_ over me."

The look on Max's face was like a puppy that had just been kicked. "Are you cereal right now, Chloe?" She asked in exasperated vulnerability.

"Damn it." Chloe muttered, looking away from those sad blue eyes. "Let's just go. Stop with the sad eyes... I'm sorry, okay?"

The brunette threw her arms around the blue-haired girl and hugged her tight for a few moments, holding it until Chloe finally hugged back, albeit a bit stiffly. "We're better than this, Chloe. I understand I'll trip your defenses sometimes. I know you didn't mean to hurt my feelings, any more than I meant to hurt yours."

"You're getting wise in your old age, Max." Chloe teased gently, managing a small smile. "All right, let's get your skinny little ass to Blackhell, you big nerd."

Max chuckled and followed Chloe down the stairs and waved to Joyce as she passed her by and then hopped into the truck and smiled as they listened to music on the drive to the academy. The brunette unconsciously moved a bit closer to Chloe and rested her hand on the seat, close enough to feel the other girl's body heat. She glanced over at the blue-haired girl a few times as she drove down the road, smoking and flicking the ashes out the window. Fantasies of them traveling the open roads... Max taking photos all over the place as they went on epic adventures filled her mind. The nice thing about fantasies is that they didn't have to be rooted in reality... concerns like money and food and things like that weren't really an issue.

"Door to door service, m'lady." The punk girl stated in a faux refined English accent.

"Why thank you, my faithful servant." Max responded magnanimously with a giggle. She paused there for a moment, looking at the lovely smiling face of the girl that she loved... whom had no idea just how much she loved her. She felt the urge to just lean over and kiss Chloe... timing be damned. Why was she still such a chickenshit? "Is it okay if I come over after classes? I'll bring a change of clothes this time." She joked, glancing down at her stale clothes that she had been wearing for well over a day now.

"Of course. Me casa is um... you... casa... or whatever." Chloe responded with a laugh.

The brunette rolled her eyes as she laughed. "See you later then." She responded as she stepped out of the truck and walked towards the dorms to grab a quick shower and change before she ran to class. She could just make it if she hurried.

As she walked up to the dorms, the door opened and suddenly she was face to face with Nathan Prescott. Max's eyes widened in surprise. Oh shit... he was still free?! "Oh look, it's Nancy Fucking Drew. You made a _big_ mistake sticking your nose into my business, bitch!" The boy growled, grabbing Max behind her neck and shaking her as he seethed in anger.

"Let me go, Nathan!" Max pleaded, struggling to pull herself free as she was shaken by the disturbed boy.

"This is the police! Nathan Prescott, you are under arrest! Put your hands above your head and surrender immediately!" A voice over a loudspeaker yelled.

Suddenly it was as if the world were moving in slow motion. Nathan pulled Max in close to use her as a body shield as he pressed a gun to her head. "Stay back! Don't make me shoot her! I'll do it! What do I care if she dies?!" He yelled with a maniacal laugh.

"Nathan, stop! You don't have to do this!" Max pleaded, scared out of her mind. The police were yelling at him to drop the gun and surrender, but he didn't seem to be listening.

"The storm is coming! Oh, you're all gonna die! I see you, I see all of you, and you're all gonna die!" Nathan was ranting as he shook Max. "Who cares what happens to you here?! You're all dead! You just don't know it yet!"

Max's eyes widened as she was shocked by the disturbed boy's words. Did... did he have visions about the tornado as well?! "Nathan, you saw the storm too?" She asked, trying to focus on him and not at the police yelling at them.

"You... you saw it too?" Nathan let go of Max and backed away, staring at her in surprise.

The time traveler started reaching out, yelling a warning at the young Prescott, but it was too late. Shots rang out and Max felt blood splatter hit her in the face as Nathan's panic-stricken eyes locked on Max's, the gun flying from his hand and he was reaching out for her, everything moving in slow motion as he slowly fell backwards. Max's horrified cry sounded over that of the gunshots and then all was deathly silent.

For the second time in the past few days, someone had died right in front of Max, and she couldn't do a damned thing about it. She stared open-mouthed in horror into Nathan's lifeless eyes as the police ran up, pulling her away from the fallen boy and then she lost consciousness, the shock overwhelming her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this chapter takes place primarily during the early portion of the day that Chapter 4 of the game took place in. But it seemed like a good stopping point. ^_^
> 
> And we're pretty much off the rails from the game events now... but I may as well keep up the "end of chapter summary" for the hell of it.
> 
> Major Choices:  
> Alternate Timeline: "You confessed to Chloe about the alternate timeline."  
> Emotional Smoochies: "You did not kiss Chloe after sharing an emotional moment with her. Chickenshit."  
> Aim to Misbehave: "You chose to go to school rather than misbehaving with Chloe. Nerd."  
> Visions and Bullets: "You tried questioning Nathan about his visions of the storm."
> 
> Minor Choices:  
> Dancing: "You danced with Chloe. Shake that ass!"  
> Bros before Heroes: "You deflected the subject of whether you're down with the 'bros' or not."  
> Cash, grass or ass: "You did not give Chloe a goodbye kiss. How rude."  
> Doe or tigress: "You did not try to fight free of Nathan."


	7. The Ties That Bind Us

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Max wakes up after blacking out from seeing Nathan gunned down in front of her. But has she woken to a nightmare?

Max groaned softly as she started to return to consciousness. She mumbled and squeezed her eyes shut as she became aware of a bright light in her eyes. "Mmm... what... what happened?" The brunette inquired, cracking her eyes open as she waited for her eyes to adjust to the light.

"She's finally waking up." A voice that sent a chill down Max's spine said. The time traveler blinked her eyes clear and fixed them on the smug face of Mark Jefferson. He leaned down, getting a closer look at her face. "Ah... just look at those eyes. Taking pictures of me... I do so love your eyes, Max. What about you?" He straightened up and looked over his shoulder at Chloe... tied to a chair and facing Max whom was in a similar predicament. "There it is! Perfect!" He pulled out his camera and started snapping pictures of Max while making sounds of appreciation.

The brunette tried to move but her hands and feet were securely fastened to the chair. She looked over at Chloe, seeing tape over the punk girl's mouth but her eyes were open and fixed on Max, wide and expressive and trying to convey so much without speech. "Let her go, you son of a bitch." Max growled as she struggled against her bonds.

"Yes, that's it! Oh... look at that fear! That concern! You can't fake that kind of reaction. These are going to be my best shots yet. Oooh, anger now. Good! Let's try this angle." Mr. Jefferson moved to the other side of Max and knelt down, his camera snapping picture after picture. "Oh, you don't want to play anymore? You don't have a _choice_ , Max. You don't want me to hurt your little girlfriend... do you?"

"Please, just let her go. I'm _begging_ you." The brunette pleaded, her eyes watering as she leaned forward as much as she could towards Chloe.

"And give up shots like this? Oh, I don't think so. Ah, but fear only stays fresh for so long, doesn't it?" Mr. Jefferson sighed after taking a few more shots and then he set his camera down and picked up a syringe, filling it with with whatever drug he was using. "A girl like this... no one will think twice about her overdosing."

Max thrashed against her bonds in vain. Keep him talking... that's all she could do. "This is your Dark Room. I don't understand, the police should have found it. You should be in jail." She stated, watching the interest get caught in the photography teacher's eyes. "What happened?"

Mr. Jefferson walked towards her and moved into the light that was obscuring her vision. "Oh... you mean when that idiot David Madsen came barging in here, looking for 'evidence'? Let's just say he was... a bit clumsy. He should have been more careful." The smug bastard chuckled as he indicated the body of David dragged into the corner out of the way. "He came charging in here, yelling about that slut over there getting pawed by Nathan... I heard him coming. You'd think a combat veteran would be more stealthy, wouldn't you?" He shook his head and started walking towards Chloe again, smiling a sick little grin as her eyes widened in fear when she saw the needle.

"Wait! What about Nathan? The police came to arrest him! They _shot_ him! I don't understand..." Max said quickly, trying to draw the man's attention again. She wasn't really sure what her plan was yet... but she had to try to keep him from injecting Chloe.

The demented photographer laughed as he paused where he was, looking back at Max. "Haven't you ever heard the term 'fall guy'? All the physical evidence leads to Nathan. He was so clumsy... he didn't even wear gloves while he was handling the models. These rich kids are _so_ arrogant. And he was such an eager student, it was easy to manipulate him. After Mr. Madsen showed up here, I knew I had to burn him. And I knew that when the police went after him, he'd do something crazy and get himself shot. _So_ utterly predictable."

Max looked around desperately, trying to find something that she could use, either as a distraction or to form some sort of escape plan. But nothing was jumping out at her. She was trashing at her bonds as hard as she could, trying at least to get her hand free so she could manipulate time, but he had secured them fairly well. Apparently he wasn't taking any chances. "Please... don't do this." She pleaded again.

Mr. Jefferson paused as he brought the needle close to Chloe's neck and he looked back at Max. "Actually I _am_ curious how you knew about my Dark Room. You sent Mr. Madsen here without ever visiting it yourself. I would know if you had... this room is under 24/7 surveillance."

The brunette latched onto the faint strand of hope. "If you want to know that, you'll have to let Chloe go free."

Mark laughed. "Careful of your wording, Max." He responded as he held the syringe up. "But... no deal. I'm curious, but not to the point of foolhardiness. Now, back to business."

"Wait! Don't you want to take some pictures of her too? Look how pissed off Chloe looks. Threaten _me_ with the syringe, you'll get some great shots of her!" Max suggested in desperation.

Mr. Jefferson sighed and shook his head. "I like your vision, Max... but I don't care at all about her. She's not special... not like _you_. Girls like her are a dime a dozen where I come from. But you? Oh... you're the rare prize. And this will be my greatest series ever. But for that to happen..." Without waiting anymore, he plunged the needle into Chloe's neck and depressed the plunger. "She has to die." He grabbed his camera then and started snapping off pictures of Max in rapid succession from various angles. "Yes... that's it! Watch the girl you love die before your very eyes, knowing you're helpless to do anything about it. This is perfect!"

"Chloe!" Max cried out as tears streamed out of her eyes. She could only watch helplessly as her blue-haired angel's eyes started drooping and her body started to go limp. "Baby... I'm here. Focus on me. I love you, Chloe... I'm right here with you. I'm so sorry... I'll fix this somehow. I'll save you. I swear..."

"Yes... perfect! Oh Max... your eyes are so expressive. I can see the hope die in them along with your little slut girlfriend." Mr. Jefferson cackled with glee. He snapped some more pictures as Max slumped down in her chair, defeated and sobbing as Chloe grew still. When Max stopped responding, he walked over and checked Chloe's pulse. "Dead. How does that make you feel, Max?" He laughed as her eyes raised up towards him and there was something new burning in her baby blues which made him eagerly take more pictures. "Oh, hatred! And there it is... your descent from innocence into corruption is complete. Oh Max... thank you. You have been the perfect model."

"You're going to _die_ , motherfucker." Max spat out venomously. "When I get free... I'm going to kill you. Do you hear me?"

Mr. Jefferson laughed as he took the last few photos and then picked up another syringe and walked towards the time traveler. "You think you'll get free? Oh no, Max. All you'll do now is die. Don't worry, I'm not a complete monster. I'll bury you and your little girlfriend in the same unmarked grave so you can be together forever. The only thing that will survive of you is these pictures."

"I've done it before... I'll do it again." The brunette vowed grimly.

The demented teacher laughed. "Oh no, Max. You didn't escape. You never left. You just think you did... a trick of the mind, when escape is impossible, one concocts escape fantasies to cope. The funny thing is, it also tends to drive you mad as realization sets in when you return to reality. But this is where your story ends."

Max winced as the needle was jabbed into her neck and then she started to feel sleepy, her head drooping forward as darkness started closing in. "I'll... get you... for hurting... Chlo...." And then Max Caulfield grew still as the darkness claimed her.

* * *

Max groaned softly as she started to return to consciousness. The bright lights were still on her and she could feel her hands and feet were still restrained. Still in the Dark Room? She hadn't died? Chloe! The brunette jolted awake and thrashed against her bonds, but something was different. This was... a hospital? She blinked a few times as she tried to focus her eyes and looked around to get her bearings and then she focused on her limbs, finding them tied to the bed. "What the hell?"

A kind looking nurse pulled aside the curtain that was around her bed and approached. "I see you're awake. Sorry about the restraints but you were thrashing around while you were unconscious. If you remain calm, the doctor will authorize them being removed, okay?"

"Where's Chloe?!" Max demanded anxiously. "I'm calm, please. I just need to know."

The nurse shook her head. "I don't know who you're referring to. Just sit tight and the doctor will be with you shortly. He can answer all your questions." She stated as she finished checking everything she needed to check and then left, pulling the curtain back into place.

The time traveler sighed and could do nothing but lay there until the doctor finally came to check on her. "Hello, young lady. It seems you had quite an experience. How are you feeling? Any dizziness, nausea, pain?" The doctor inquired as he started doing his examination.

"No, just... confusion. What happened?" Max inquired, almost afraid of the answer.

The doctor looked thoughtful for a moment and asked, "What's the last thing you remember?"

"I was going to the dorms before class and... another student came out with a gun and then the police were there and... the student was shot. Is that... right?" The brunette inquired hesitantly.

"Yes, so I've been told. Do you remember what happened after that?" The doctor inquired as he looked at Max's chart and made a few notes.

"I... guess I fainted. And then I woke up here." She responded and waited in silence as the doctor kept writing. "Um... why? Am I forgetting something?"

"Don't worry about that for now. No headaches, double vision? Okay... you seem calm now so I'll authorize your restraints to be removed and I'll check back with you later. The police will want to question you about what happened at some point, so for now just get some rest." The doctor replied and walked away to check on the next patient, leaving the photographer confused.

Max lay there, bored and frustrated until she heard a voice that was unfamiliar but something about it caught her attention anyway. She heard Nathan's name mentioned. She listened and it quickly became apparent that the voice belonged to Nathan's father, Sean Prescott. And he was demanding to know where the 'girl who got his son killed' was. Oh shit. She waited with bated breath, catching a peek at the man through a crack in the curtain as he walked around, throwing his name around and making demands.

The brunette was startled when the curtain pulled away and the nurse approached and gave her a pleasant smile. "The doctor said that besides a few scrapes and bruises, you seemed to be fine, but he wants to keep you overnight for a concussion watch. There's nothing to worry about, it's standard with a fall where you might have hit your head. He said you showed some signs of memory loss, but don't worry about it, it's perfectly normal. Most of the time, the memories return on their own. Now, did you have any questions or concerns?"

Max was really confused now. "Did I forget something important?" She inquired.

"Don't you worry about that for now. As I said, any lost memories are likely to return on their own in their own time." She responded and then paused as Mr. Prescott's voice could be heard nearby and he sounded threatening. 

There was a moment of silence and then the doctor from earlier said "Of course, she's right over here, Mr. Prescott. We'll administer her... medication as you've instructed."

What?! Oh shit. Hastily Max rewound time to when the nurse asked if she had any questions. "None. Can you untie me now, please?" She asked a little too anxiously.

"What's wrong? You're not getting upset again, are you?" The nurse asked as she hesitated. 

Damn it! Calm down, Max. She rewound time again after taking a deep breath to steady herself. "No, I'll be fine after I get untied." She stated with as friendly a smile as she could muster.

"Of course sweetheart, one moment." The nurse untied one of Max's hands and then paused as Mr. Prescott's voice was heard again.

Max rewound time as far back as she could now to before the nurse came to check on her and untied herself as quickly as she could. Once she was free, she rewound time again so the nurse wouldn't be too close and then quickly searched around to find her things. She was lucky they hadn't moved anything into the security safe yet... she didn't fancy the thought of rewinding over and over again as she tried to break into it in plain view of the security guards. She'd pass out from overexerting her powers for sure.

The girl slipped out, going full on ninja mode as she snuck out of the hospital, past Mr. Prescott, the doctor and nurse, and security without drawing attention to herself, with a few careful rewinds. Once she was outside she checked her phone... damn, cracked when she fell. Just her luck. Luckily there was one of those electronic ticker displays that showed the date and time and the temperature, and so forth. Thursday night, the night of the Vortex Club party. She wondered if they were still having it, despite Nathan getting gunned down in front of the dorms. No, not likely... even they weren't shallow enough to do that. She hoped. Best keep her faith in humanity up by not going to find out. She had a more important destination in mind.

Max got to the bus stop and was soon heading towards Chloe's house, praying that her encounter with Mr. Jefferson was just a dream... brought on by the shock of what happaned to Nathan. That thought made her think about Mr. Prescott... had he paid her doctor to kill her or something? She sure wasn't going to stick around and find out the hard way. 

She rubbed her temples as she tried to focus her mind. Nathan seemed to be having the same visions that she did about the storm... assuming it wasn't just a coincidence and that he didn't see something entirely different. But now she couldn't question him about it. She didn't even have any relevant photographs that she could use to go back in time to question him... because she had spent so much time with Chloe. She didn't regret that really, though now she was down to the 24 hour mark and she still didn't have any leads on the storm that weren't dead ends... literally. Having less than five days to do so many things was just... insane.

Max wished she had gotten a change of clothes at least, if not a shower, before getting caught between Nathan and the police, but she could always break down and wear something of Chloe's... or go for some Rachel cosplay again. That didn't really matter, the important thing was seeing her blue-haired angel and hugging her tight and... damn it, kissing her. She needed a kiss after the day she had been having.

The time traveler knocked on the door despite knowing that she was typically welcome to just walk in. It felt kind of odd doing that and she never really took the family up on their extension of hospitality, and she wasn't about to start now especially with David living there. One never knew if he was in on the sentiment and she didn't fancy getting accidentally shot by the paranoid man. The door opened and Joyce was looking at her, concern on her face. "Hey Joyce. Sorry to disturb you, I know it's late but I told Chloe earlier I would come over. Wait... what's wrong? You look..."

"I'm sorry, Max. Chloe isn't here. David sent her a text earlier asking her to come meet him. She's been gone ever since. I don't know what's going on and that has me worried." Mrs. Price informed the young brunette. "I thought she would have called or texted you."

Fear dropped like a bomb straight into the pit of her stomach. "I... I don't know. I fell and my phone broke. So... you haven't heard anything from David since he left to take care of everything this morning?" The photographer inquired, hoping that she was misunderstanding.

"No, just the text that he sent Chloe. He just said he had to talk to her in person. She wasn't happy about going, but she did. Do you know anything?" Joyce inquired. Her attention fixed on a point behind the teen, something in the sky. Max didn't even need to look, but she did anyway. "What in tarnation? I'm sorry sweetie, I must be over-stressed, I think I'm seeing double."

"No... I see it too, Joyce." The brunette responded as she tried to figure out what she could do.

"What do you think it means?" Mrs. Price inquired, raising her hand up to cover her mouth as she stared up at it in awe as she worried for her husband and daughter out there... somewhere.

"Nothing good." Max responded grimly. She and Joyce stepped back inside, each trying to keep calm and stay strong for the other. "I'll find them... I promise." She went up to Chloe's room and used the girl's computer to log into her SMS message system. There were a lot of missed texts. Her parents, Warren, Chloe... even Victoria of all people. She opened up the ones from Chloe first and her suspicions were confirmed.

_'Step-dick sent me a msg asking me 2 meet up. fuk me'_  
_'Think it's cool if I tell him to fuck off?'_  
_'Max?'_  
_'Guess I'll go. Don't wait up! Hah'_  
_'Max, where r u?'_  
_'Max we need u in on this. Come to 2 Whales.'_

Max looked at the time the last message was sent. A little over an hour ago. So she texted back.  
Max: _'Sorry phone's dead. -_- Had to log into ur computer to access SMS. Still at 2 Whales?'_  
Chloe: _'Yes. Get here ASAP, Max.'_  
Max: _'Ok, I'll ask Joyce for a ride, at your house'_  
Chloe: _'Take the bus'_  
Max: _'Everything ok?'_  
Chloe: _'Just hurry.'_  
Max: _'Ok, omw. c u in 15 ^_^'_  
Chloe: _'Ok'_

Max hurried out, telling Joyce she had to get back to school so she wouldn't insist on coming and rushed back to the bus stop and caught yet another bus. She figured it must be pretty urgent, Chloe hadn't even teased her about her emoji use. It sucked that her phone was broken though, if she received any other messages she couldn't check them. But she'd manage, the important thing would be getting back to Chloe.

She got off at the 2 Whales stop and looked around. It was pretty quiet, only a trucker having a late night meal and the overnight cook seemed to be around. Max saw a brief flare of a lighter being lit over on the other side of the diner so she hurried over there. Hmm... nothing... no wait, footsteps behind the diner. The brunette approached the spot where the homeless woman was often spending her days, but it looked like she went to wherever she slept at night. "Chloe?" She asked, looking around for her faithful companion.

Suddenly she sensed movement close to her and before she could react she felt a sharp pain in her neck. "No!!!" She cried as she fell to the ground and tried unsuccessfully to rewind time. No... not again! 

But her fears were confirmed as the grim face of Mr. Jefferson loomed over her, the double-moonlight shining down on him. "Oh Max... you have been a pain in my neck. Nighty night." He stated smugly. Chloe... where was Chloe?! Those were her last thoughts as blackness overtook her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things just got even more weird! I think Mr. Jefferson's spirit animal just might be a cockroach... How is Max going to get out of this one, and where are Chloe and David?! And what was up with that beginning? A nightmare? A memory from a different timeline? Reality that Max just hasn't accepted yet? What do you all think? ^_^
> 
> Max's 'End of Chapter' summary:
> 
> Major Choices:  
> Talk is Cheap: "You attempted to delay Mr. Jefferson from killing Chloe.'  
> Fight or Flight: "You stealthily escaped the hospital without confronting Mr. Prescott."  
> Back-up: "You did not ask Joyce to drive you to the 2 Whales Diner."
> 
> Minor Choices:  
> Love or Hate: "You chose to console Chloe as she died."  
> Evidence: "You left your hospital chart behind."  
> Text or Next: "You did not read all of your SMS messages."


	8. Dark Night of the Soul

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some timeline shenanigans and Mr. Jefferson being a whacked out creepazoid. And then...

As the sun dipped under the horizon, with snow gently falling despite the warm weather, Max told Chloe that Rachel was dead... killed by an accidental overdose by Nathan. She told her how they had discovered what happened to her in a previous timeline. And then the brunette was holding the blue-haired girl as she wailed in grief with the lighthouse standing vigil overhead.

Chloe raged and wept and raged again until her heart was aching and her eyes were red and dry of tears, but the time traveler held on, whispering words of comfort as her heart ached for her dear friend. Finally the punk girl could sit there no longer and they drove back into town in silence until suddenly swerving and pulling into the packing lot of Tony's Liquor Store. The grieving girl walked in and approached the clerk, a guy that she had been buying beer and cigarettes from since she was 15. He knew she was underage when he first started selling to her, but she had a fake ID and he took pity on her, knowing that her father had died. She needed to get wasted and beer wasn't going to cut it. She looked around and spotted a bottle of tequila... the label had a logo on it that looked vaguely like a feather and that's all it took her to convince her that it was the one.

Max watched silently as the punk girl argued with the clerk over the tequila as he tried to convince her to stick to beer, but she wasn't listening. The brunette couldn't help but smile sadly, grimly amused despite the circumstances. Damn, this would make a really good picture too but they had left before Chloe gave her William's old camera to replace the one that broke. Her eyes landed on a disposable camera... hmm better than nothing. So she picked it up and snapped a picture and then walked up to pay for the camera after the blue-haired girl finally convinced the clerk to sell her the tequila against his better judgment. 

Chloe went ahead and got a fresh pack of cigarettes as well and was patting at her pockets for money she didn't have, but Super Max came to the rescue. "Shit, that's what we need right there... we could totally win that and all our money troubles would be over." The punk girl stated, pointing at a nightly lottery as she took a few long swallows of tequila and then shoved the bottle into Max's face. "You better help me with this, hippie." 

The time traveler reluctantly took the tequila bottle and looked grossed out at the thought of drinking it, but Chloe was insistent so she sighed and took a few long swallows. She worried that the punk girl would die of alcohol poisoning if she didn't drink her fair share. Gross or no, she had to look out for the girl. She passed the bottle back and looked up at the indicated lotto. The grand prize was ten grand... which would certainly pay off Chloe's debt and they'd still have a lot left over. "It's a nice thought, but the chances are pretty low." Max responded wistfully.

"Fuck that, rewind power, dude!" The blue-haired girl suggested eagerly.

The brunette shook her head, amused at the idea. "After the numbers came up, I wouldn't be able to rewind far enough to still be able to buy a ticket. We'd have better luck going to a roulette table or something... too bad we're not old enough to gamble." She mused. Max was surprised she had even thought of it... must be the alcohol already affecting her judgement. "Come on, let's get back to your house before we drink more of this. I don't feel like crashing and dying."

"You hold the booze then... and get a head start." Chloe ordered as they hopped back into her truck and started driving back to the Price residence.

Max was about as far from excited at the prospect of getting drunk as one could be... but this was what Chloe needed. And damned it if she wasn't going to be there for her blue-haired angel. She took another long swig and then made a "blarrgh!" sound as she shuddered. "Couldn't you have at least gotten something that was tasty, like a flavored vodka, or... I don't know, a wine cooler or something?"

"I could have done a lot of things... like driving to Los Angeles with Rachel. But instead she's dead and I'm stuck in this hellhole with a friend who's barely talked to me for five years and a bottle of tequila. So that's what we're drinking. Now drink up." The punk girl growled, angry at the world and taking it out unintentionally on Max.

"Chloe, I..." The brunette started to say but quickly shut up when the other girl glared at her. "All right." She took another swig and silently shuddered in revulsion. After they got back to Chloe's home, they went up to her room and started working on the rest of the bottle.

Chloe cried some more... and got pissed off and vented about everything she could think of... and then they got a little silly and told stupid jokes that were only funny because they were drunk. By the time the bottle was getting close to empty, they were both laughing and dancing one minute, Max snapping pictures on that disposable camera and flirting awkwardly to an oblivious Chloe, whom was smoking and dancing and telling stories that only halfway made sense about Rachel. And then the bottle was empty and they were sprawled out on the punk girl's bed and sloppily making out. Max was right in the middle of suggesting they get a bit more comfortable by removing clothes when she passed out. Chloe laughed and started making a joke about it, but then she too was out like a light.

The next day Max woke up first in a small puddle of her own drool on Chloe's stomach with no real recollection of what had transpired the night before, but the memories slowly started returning. When she sat up she found a strange lump in her pants pocket and reached in and found the disposable camera from the night before. She stared at it for a few minutes before she remembered why she had bought it. That reminded her that she had to ask Chloe for William's old camera.

Max remembered that Frank would be at the Two Whales that morning so she thought it best to avoid it since they didn't have the money to pay him off yet... and might not unless she figured something out. She felt bad about stealing the handicap fund again, but if she had to... she had to. So they had breakfast at home instead, going through a whole box of cereal between the two of them. "Chloe... I think we should talk to David. He already knows where the barn is... we just have to figure out a way to get him to check into it... which means figuring out a plausible explanation."

Chloe was busy slurping up the milk remaining in the bowl when the brunette suggested talking to David and she almost choked on it. "Are you fucking serious?" The punk girl demanded. After being told about how David had saved her, she simmered down to a low grumble. "Well... fine. We can say that Nathan let slip about the Dark Room while he was getting in your face, maybe. Give him enough information to make the connection himself. He probably won't rush to it unless we tell him something substantial though." She stated thoughtfully.

The time traveler considered that for a bit and could only think of one option. "I think... Chloe I think you're going to have to tell him what he tried to do to you. No, wait a minute, before you lose your shit... I mean just enough to motivate him. You don't have to tell him about trying to rob him to pay off Frank. Just... that you were hanging out with him and he slipped something in your drink but you managed to get out before anything happened."

The blue-haired girl grumbled for a few minutes more but Max was giving her the doe eyes so she finally relented. "Fine... but you owe me, hippie. Big time... this _is_ the step-dick we're talking about here."

Max assured her it would be fine and they'd tell him that night and then she went to school and caught up with Kate, getting her to open up about the difficulties she was going through and giving her a shoulder to lean on. The smile Kate had afterwards was still sad... but hopeful. The brunette was relieved to find that it was enough to keep the girl from going up on that roof. After spending some more time with the girl to perk her spirits up and assure her that she would have justice soon, she stopped in the photography lab's dark room to develop the photos from the disposable camera. 

After she was done with everything at school, Max went back to Chloe's house for dinner and they told David everything he needed to know to put two and two together and get 'Prescott barn'. After some encouragement from the photographer, Chloe told David about Nathan drugging her and mentioning the Dark Room and was then surprised by how motivated he became to investigate, leaving right after dinner to check out the barn.

The next morning as Max was getting dropped off at Blackwell, she took a chance and leaned over to kiss Chloe's cheek. The blue-haired girl smiled and caught her as she was starting to pull away and gave her a proper kiss that quickly turned into a full on make-out session. They lost track of time for a while before the brunette remembered she had to get to class. "That was... wowsers." Max murmured as she reluctantly pulled away.

"Yeah it was, _Super_ Max." Chloe responded with a somewhat dreamy smile on her lips. "You sure you still wanna go to class?"

The brunette laughed softly. "You make a pretty convincing argument, but as long as I'm here I suppose I'll make an appearance." After another quick smooch she got out of the truck and started walking towards class, but she was startled when police cars pulled up and officers ran past her towards the dormitory building. So that must mean... Nathan. So David had presumably gotten the evidence to get the boy arrested... and that meant he would likely give up Mr. Jefferson's involvement as well... or there would be some evidence to tie him to the Dark Room. The other binders, no doubt.

Unknown to Max though, Mr. Jefferson was in his car in the parking lot and had seen the smooching between the two girls. He watched Max leave the truck and soon after the police officers he had tipped off about Nathan to throw the suspicion off himself arrived. He looked at the truck Max had left again... Chloe Price. He was somewhat familiar with her... he knew she was involved with Rachel. The punk had a good eye... but in his estimation, that was all. But there was something else about her he knew... Frank the drug dealer was after her for money... which meant he kept tabs on her. That would make it easier to find her later.

And sure enough, the girls were out that night at the water tower by the train tracks. It was close to the junkyard but they were avoiding that area, considering Rachel's body was there, or it was a crime scene... they didn't check to find out. As if he had a GPS beacon attached to her, Frank drove up and confronted them, demanding his money, but unfortunately the two girls still hadn't figured out how to pay the man off. After a tense standoff and a bit of threatening, the dealer stormed off and drove away, cursing like a sailor.

"Let's get out of here... I'm not really in the mood to play around here anymore." Chloe suggested as she walked towards the truck.

"Sure, I'll be there in a minute. I just want to take a picture of this water tower. It's in the golden hour... it'll make a great shot." Max stated, moving off to frame the water tower with the sun behind it.

Chloe was stepping into her truck when Mr. Jefferson snuck up behind her and jabbed her in the neck with a needle. She tried to yell out but he had his hand over her mouth just long enough for her to go unconscious.

And then the creepy photographer was sneaking up on Max as she adjusted her position trying to get the perfect shot. Finally she snapped the picture and gasped as a pain was felt in her neck. She fell to the ground, trying and failing to rewind time. She cried out for Chloe, not knowing the girl was already drugged. "That was a great shot, Max. You've got quite an eye..." He leaned down and smiled at her as she was fading into unconsciousness. "I love that about you."

As Max's vision dimmed she focused on the picture she had just taken. Her only chance... just before she blacked out, she entered the photo. As soon as her camera clicked and popped out the photo, she started running, feeling a jab in her neck and thankfully only taking a small amount of the drug before she was sprinting as fast as she could. She could hear Mr. Jefferson cursing, likely wondering how she had been tipped off, but it didn't matter now. She was starting to slow from the drug and she wasn't a very good runner to begin with. She called for Chloe as she angled towards the truck but then she saw her blue-haired angel passed out and slumped against the steering wheel. No! This wasn't going to happen. Thinking quickly, she rolled under the truck and reached into her pocket for a photo she had taken recently... not an instant photo like she normally used, she had to hope it would still work. That first night when Chloe bought the tequila...

The time traveler focused on the photo and thankfully it worked... though between the drugs and being in a photo within a photo, things were... a bit off. She was having trouble focusing in that package store. What was she going to do though? Wait... the lotto. She remembered seeing the winning numbers the next day and recalling they had talked about how she couldn't rewind far enough to buy the ticket after seeing the winning numbers... but she could in a photo. She rushed up and bought the ticket. Wait... how would she get the money quickly enough to pay off Frank? That gave her another idea but she had to exit the photo and hope that the changes carried forward so she could quickly switch to one later on in the night. "Chloe, let's stick around long enough to see if I win something... maybe we'll get lucky. And remind me to take a picture when the numbers come up, because I'll forget." She suggested. Chloe wanted to get to drinking but she reluctantly agreed.

Max snapped out of the photo and felt herself getting dragged out from under the truck, but she flipped a few photos quickly and found the one she was looking for. It was a new one, her and Chloe hanging around the package store with Max already tipsy. She focused on it as blood dripped out of her nose and then she was back in the package store. Drugs, alcohol, photo within a photo, and a second photo trip in so many minutes... yeah, she was messed up... but she didn't care. The numbers were coming up and Chloe grabbed at her and cheered. "We're fucking rich, dude!" She cried.

Max showed the winning ticket to the disbelieving clerk and then asked, "Any chance we can cash this now? We really need the money..."

"Sorry, I can't cash tickets that high." He replied, and then told her how she could redeem it. But there was no way she could do that quickly... and not within a photo like this.

"I really need the money... I'm willing to sell you the ticket for as much as you can give. I don't mind taking a loss to get the money now." The brunette requested hopefully. The clerk eagerly agreed and gave her around four grand... for a ticket that would earn him over 10. Not a bad investment. And it would give her and Chloe enough money to pay off Frank... which would hopefully mean they'd pay him off before Mr. Jefferson followed him to them. She pocketed the money and the world faded out.

When they woke up, they were in his Dark Room... poor David was lying dead in the corner and Chloe and Max were bound to their chairs facing each other. Max groaned and started to stir and Mr. Jefferson smiled... it was showtime. "She's finally waking up." He stated eagerly, leaning over to look the girl in the eye as they started to focus and she became aware of her predicament. How he loved those eyes... she would be his finest model ever, he was positive. Even though Max had changed the timeline, that only helped the 'main timeline' version of her... the one still in this timeline awoke to a nightmare and those memories became part of Max forever.

* * *

Max groaned softly as she started to wake up. No... not this again. She blinked her eyes a few times and slowly looked up to focus on Mr. Jefferson's smug face. Son of a bitch...

"Look who finally woke up. I thought she was going to sleep all day." Mr. Jefferson chuckled and looked over at his other hostage.

Max's eyes shifted to confirm her suspicions. Chloe... tied to the chair... again. And that probably meant... "Mr. Jefferson? I don't understand." She stated, her voice a bit rough from everything she had been through. 

Those nightmares... they were memories... from previous timelines. She remembered now, because that Max was dead. It was strange how even just a few alterations changed so much. In the previous timeline, they didn't have the money to pay off Frank... which meant they avoided him. The time traveler hadn't gotten around to telling Chloe about how Frank and Rachel had been a thing behind her back to brace her... so they had more time to grow closer which led to a kiss as she was leaving Chloe's truck... and that made her miss running into Nathan. But Chloe saw Rachel's bracelet on Frank and she freaked out... and had probably still been distracted allowing Mr. Jefferson to get the drop on her easily, not to mention them not paying Frank had allowed the man to follow Frank straight to them.

But even with the alterations to the timeline... here she was. In the same spot, staring into the eyes of a deranged photographer bent on murdering the girl she loved while she watched... all so he could take pictures of her reactions. No. Not this time. "Oh, I think you can plainly see what happened, Max. I know you're not the most attentive student at Blackwell, but you're certainly no imbecile. That punk girl over there... I take it the two of you are close? I saw her messages when I sent you the text that lured you here. Such a little flirt she is... and you ate it all up, didn't you? Ah, young love. So fresh and new... you might even say... innocent." He smirked and looked back and forth between the two girls. "I may have overestimated how close the two of you are, you don't seem all that concerned about her predicament." He accused the brunette.

"We're just friends." Max lied, drawing Mr. Jefferson's gaze back to her. "She was in love with Rachel Amber. But there was a moment..." She paused there, turning her gaze down to the floor. Take the bait, you son of a bitch...

"I'm intrigued, do go on, Ms. Caulfield." The photography teacher requested eagerly.

The brunette looked around and spotted her journal. "I took a photo of it... if you bring my journal over here, I can find it." She requested, knowing he would have a hard time resisting sharing her work with her like that.

"Hmm. All right, I'll bite, Max. But I'm not untying you, if that's what you're thinking." He went to pick up the journal and then he walked back over to her and opened it up and started flipping through the pages as she directed him to keep turning. Once she found the right one she told him to stop. "This one?" He pulled the photo out and looked closely at it. "Excellent shot... oh, I do love your eye. Such wasted potential."

"Let me get a closer look and I'll tell you about it." Max requested. Mr. Jefferson held the photo in front of her as he focused on her eyes as she looked at it. It was the morning after drinking tequila as Chloe mourned Rachel. Right after she had asked for William's camera, the picture she took as she was leaving the room to go to school. And then she was back in that moment.

Max blinked a few times and let out a soft sigh of relief. "Chloe... this is really weird and I know you're still trying to wrap your head around so much but... we're in a tight spot. I managed to get a hold of the photo I just took and traveled back... I need you to be strong, Chloe. Mr. Jefferson is going to come after us... but I've got a plan. Do you trust me?"

Chloe sighed and wiped her eyes as she sat up slowly. "With my life, Max."

"Good, because in a few minutes I won't remember any of this. Not until I need to, anyway. Here's what I can tell you..." The time traveler stated and quickly went over her plan. Once the punk girl nodded in understanding, the world started going white and Max was back in the real world.

"Max? Don't just sit there... tell me the story." Mr. Jefferson prodded eagerly.

Max's eyes shifted over to meet Chloe's and the punk girl gave her a wink. She knew what happened when the time traveler had focused on the picture like that... and she remembered the results of it as well. All this time... damn that girl was good. "Actually, I just wanted you to see what a _real_ photographer could do. I didn't need a fancy $8000 dollar camera and Photoshop to take that shot. Just me and my humble little Polaroid Spectra. You're a hack, Mr. Jefferson. Taking pictures of drugged up girls and calling it art. You're pathetic."

Mark's eyes narrowed for a few moments as he took offense at her words and then he smiled slightly. "Ah, trying to get under my skin. Clever, but not clever enough. You'll change your tune when I kill your little girlfriend over there." He walked over and picked up the needle and brandished it menacingly.

"I told you before, we're just friends. And not even good friends... I left Arcadia Bay and barely talked to her for five years. You'll be doing me a favor, so go ahead. I know what you want... you want a reaction. But you're not going to get it. Fuck you, Mr. Jefferson, you pretentious prick." Max declared. It hurt saying those words and she prayed that Chloe didn't take them to heart, but she'd make up for it later anyway.

"You snotty little bitch!" Mr. Jefferson growled, backhanding the brunette hard enough to topple her chair over. "You had me fooled, Max. I thought you were innocent and naive... but you're just another stuck up self-centered bitch, just like most of the other students at that pretentious boarding school." He sighed and walked over to pull Max's chair back up. "Sorry about that, you made me lose my temper. I don't understand why you'r-"

Max smiled, her hand was free thanks to a hard yank as the chair hit the ground. It hurt like a bitch, but that would be fixed in a moment as she rewound time as far back as she could. Mr. Jefferson was threatening Chloe with the needle. She hated doing this, but she had to sacrifice the girl. "No, please... I'll do anything!" She cried. It was convincing enough and he laughed and walked over to inject her, taking his eyes off Max. She reached into her pocket and was relieved to find the knife that Chloe had slipped into her pocket when they parted in her truck. She had a new memory now, of being confused by it when she retrieved her belongings in the hospital... but she had pocketed it anyway, recognizing it as Chloe's.

The brunette cut her bonds quickly and stood up and gave the dying Chloe a mouthed "I'm sorry" before rewinding time. Mr. Jefferson had just taken a step towards Chloe as Max rushed forward. Mr. Jefferson heard the sound and spun, jabbing forward instinctively with the needle. Time froze and then rewound... further. Mr. Jefferson was holding up the needle and threatening to inject Chloe with it. Max slashed the man's wrist making him drop the needle and then stabbed him in the stomach to knock the wind out of him and make him double over in pain.

Max couldn't focus on that for the moment, instead she ran over to cut Chloe free and then she turned back to Mr. Jefferson and looked into his eyes. No more. Several times now he was responsible for Chloe's death through various timelines... and the sick fucker had made her watch Chloe die while he took fucking pictures. She had promised him that he was going to die... that she was going to kill him. That was a previous timeline now... but she remembered. She remembered what it felt like to watch Chloe die as she was powerless to stop it. She remembered the cold blackness of oblivion overtake her as well, while this man smiled smugly at her. "I made a promise to you, Mr. Jefferson..." Max growled as she leapt at him and stabbed him again with a cry of rage.

"Max! Holy shit, stop!" Chloe yelled, running to grab the girl's arms and hold her back. "He's down! Don't let him get to you like this. You're better than this... better than him." She stated, getting into the girl's face and making her focus on her instead of the man on the ground.

"You don't understand, Chloe. You don't know what he did... he _killed_ you. He made me watch it and he took fucking _pictures_ of it. He's a monster." The brunette cried vehemently.

"Yes, he is. But _you're_ not. You're Max Fucking Caulfield... don't let him turn you into a cold-blooded murderer. You think my deaths will haunt you? This will be worse. I've seen how much guilt you've carried. If you do this... it'll be too much. I can't let you take that on, Max." The blue-haired girl stated in a soothing tone. 

The brunette hung her head sadly, feeling ashamed of herself. "You're... you're right. I just... I had to let you die again to give myself time to get free. And that, on top of the fresh memories of watching you die like that... it was too much."

"I know, Max... but that's why we're a team. We've got each other's backs." The punk girl assured her.

Mr. Jefferson wasn't really following the dialogue all that well, mostly on account of his bleeding gut wound. But he picked up enough to see how much turmoil the girl was in and he couldn't resist picking at her wounds. "Max... listen to me for a moment." Once he had her attention he smiled a sick little smile at her. "Take a picture... this will make a fantastic shot. And take a selfie too, covered in my blood that you spilled. It'll be... transcendent."

Max stiffened and the knife trembled in her hand as she fought the urge to hurt the man more. Chloe wasn't having it though. "Shut the fuck up." She yelled as she kicked the man in the head, knocking him out cold. Her gaze moved over to David's body and guilt flashed over her features. "Sorry... David."

The time traveler felt guilty about that too. She should have warned Chloe about that... but if she had changed too much... the timeline would have been altered drastically and she might not have had the plan in place. It was yet another impossible choice that she was forced to make. "I'm sorry, Chloe. If I had warned you, he might still be alive. But then things might have changed too much... I'm a horrible person." She said as she sniffled.

Chloe shook her head and hugged Max close. "No you're not. You're doing the best you can in an impossible situation. Come on... let's get out of here. We have to call the cops."

They made their way out of the bunker and were startled to find the heavy rains and winds of the storm moving in. Max's hands moved up to cover her mouth as she stared in horror. "No... we're too late! Again! We haven't found out _shit_ about what is causing the storm!"

The blue-haired girl turned to look at the hatch leading to the bunker. "It's my fault. You spent so much time consoling me... telling me everything about what happened to Rachel and dealing with my freak outs... and on top of dealing with that asshole..."

"No! Chloe, we're partners. I know what you're thinking and I won't do it. You deserve the truth... and I can't do this on my own!" Max insisted. "Anyway, it might be a moot point... it could be a fluke, what happened last time."

"What if it's not? What if you pop back to Monday, remembering all this?" Chloe inquired. "Look, we gotta decide quickly. Do we go back in that bunker to take shelter? Or go somewhere else?"

The brunette mulled that over in her mind for a minute and then grabbed Chloe's hand and walked out into the storm. Luckily the truck was still where the punk had parked it when she came here, believing she was meeting David... though she knew it was likely a trap, but trusted in Max to figure out a way to get her hand free to get the knife. "When I first got the vision, I was at the lighthouse alone in it. And in all the subsequent timelines, we were there together... or we died, like we did before I went back to warn you. It's best we not take chances... to the lighthouse."

They drove in relative silence, worried about the people of Arcadia Bay but hoping they would get another chance to fix all of this. As they started walking up to the lighthouse, Max felt she should warn Chloe this time. "Last time all the timelines converged on me as we made our way up there and I kinda pass out. It might happen again... though in all the timelines prior to me making changes in photos... I've already experienced them while I was unconscious. So... maybe not. But just in case... fair warning."

Chloe nodded and they held hands as they fought the winds to make their way up to the lighthouse. It seemed that since she already had all the memories, she didn't pass out again, though it still felt like time was trying to unravel and she had to use her force of will to straighten it out. It took all her concentration so she was still basically dragged up to the lighthouse.

Chloe stepped away once the time traveler was good and looked at the storm in awe. "Holy fucking shit, it's _huge_!" She understood now, when Max felt like she had caused this storm... seeing it now, knowing it would probably wipe the whole town out... she really couldn't blame her for listening to Chloe's pleading to sacrifice her for the town. If she thought it'd do any good, she'd probably ask it again, even knowing how shitty a thing it was to ask. Luckily she didn't have to burden the photographer's conscience with that again.

"Chloe... I can't do this again." Max stated in a vulnerable tone, gaining the other girl's attention back.

"Yes you can, Max. You can do anything." The punk assured her.

The brunette shook her head as tears fell from her eyes. "Going back to you being angry with me? Having to break your heart with what happened to Rachel again? I can't _torture_ you like that again, Chloe! It tears me up inside. I can't stand to see you in pain like that, especially knowing I'm the one causing it by telling you! But I can't lie to you either. I don't know what to do."

Chloe wrapped her arms around Max and held her tight. "I can't make that decision for you, Max. Do what you think is right. If you choose not to tell me stuff... I forgive you, okay?"

Max shook her head. "No! That's as good as lying to you! It's bad enough that I have to try to time what I reveal so it doesn't overwhelm you. We're in this together. You will know what I know. Although..." She paused and smiled wistfully. "I didn't even manage to tell you everything this time. I suppose I can't make that promise. I'll just... I'll do what I can. I feel shitty saying it, but a part of me is hoping I won't start over with another time loop. I... I don't know how long I can keep doing this."

"I'm so sorry, Max. This isn't fair to you. You can do it though... I'll be right there at your side. Always." The blue-haired girl smiled fondly and glanced over at the storm for a moment before turning back. "Hey, you said you weren't able to tell me everything. Is there anything I should know before... whatever happens... happens?"

The brunette smiled slightly with a sad, wistful look on her face and brushed her fingertips lightly over Chloe's cheek. "Just... I love you." She could hear the sounds of the tornado starting to tear about the town and she knew if it was going to happen, it would be soon. "I'll always love you." She stated, leaning up to gently press her lips against the other girl's. And then the world seemed to vanish for a moment and then suddenly she was back at the beginning... again. Mr. Jefferson's fucking lecture. Alfred Hitchcock, blah blah blah, pretentious bullshit, blah blah. Max lowered her head down into her hands and felt like she had aged several years already. Would this ever end? She sighed and picked up the camera and snapped a photo of herself. _'Chloe... I'm coming.'_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wasn't 100% happy with this chapter... I wanted to touch on some of the timeline events that went into shaping the current one and that ended with a bit more summarizing then I cared for. But when you're dealing with two or three timelines that only differed by a few key events, it happens. It's not my best work and I know that and I may go back in the future and figure out some areas to flesh out but it's low priority. 
> 
> For now, we're starting with a brand new timeline. One bright point, she's reconciled with the majority of her guilt and is focusing on the future more. That will be a much more Max kind of Max. Now she has to figure out how to approach things again... that darn Mr. Jefferson!
> 
> Max's End of Chapter summary:
> 
> Major Choices:  
> Knowledge or Wisdom: "You chose to spend the day with Kate."  
> Sacrificial Step-Lamb: "You chose to sacrifice David."  
> War and Peace: "You spared Mr. Jefferson's life. I mean, one more little stab might not have killed him..."  
> And Made Her Cry: "You kissed Chloe as the timeline ended."
> 
> Minor Choices:  
> Pass the Bottle: "You decided to drink your fair share of tequila. Enjoy your hangover."  
> Peacemaker: "You resolved Frank and Chloe's dispute without bloodshed."  
> Knife to Meat You: "You chose to carry the knife yourself."  
> Light or Darkroom: "You chose to travel to the Lighthouse."


	9. Journals

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yet another time loop starts, but something seems... different this time. What is it and what caused it?

As Max sat in Mr. Jefferson's class, tried to figure out how she would approach everything. She had learned the hard way that focusing too hard on one thing let everything else fall apart... but could she balance things? Could she be there for both Chloe and Kate? And what would she do about Nathan and Mr. Jefferson? There were no easy answers. Why was the weight of the world on her narrow shoulders? And how soon before she buckled under that weight and went mad?

The bell rang snapping Max out of her train of thought. She started gathering up her things and her eyes fixed on Kate. How lonely and sad she looked. It broke her heart all over again but she realized something... she couldn't be there for everyone. She couldn't be the crutch that both Chloe and Kate leaned on. She had to choose... but it wasn't just a friend that Kate needed, it was something more than she could give. But friendship wasn't all that the Christian girl had to lean on.

Max approached her and gave her a kind smile when the girl's sad eyes turned up to fix on her. "Kate, can we talk for a minute?"

"Oh... sure, Max. What's up?" Kate asked. So kind, even now as she struggled.

"Can I ask you a question... about the bible? There's a few passages I saw that confused me, maybe you could explain them? Matthew 11:28-30?" Max inquired.

The Christian girl blinked, clearly surprised. "Max... Matthew 11:28 is my favorite passage! With 29 and 30 the whole scripture is: _'Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.'_ "

The brunette nodded. "Yeah... what... what does that mean? Yoke and burden and all that."

Kate frowned thoughtfully. "Well it... it means when you're troubled or facing adversity, seek the Lord. He will carry your burdens with you... your troubles are easy for him to carry."

Max nodded. "So... if you're feeling like your burdens are too heavy... it probably means that you're not letting God help you... is that right? And so you should lean on him... let him carry the load when it's too heavy for you, so that he can see you through it?"

The other girl nodded slowly. "Yes... that's right. Why are you asking me about this, Max?"

The time traveler smiled and leaned down to hug Kate and whispered into her ear. "Something just... told me that you needed reminding of that. I don't know what you're going through Kate, but if you feel like it's too much... you're not leaning on God enough. He'll see you through this... whatever you're struggling with. And I am always just a phone call away when you need a more corporeal friendly voice, okay?"

Kate sniffled and nodded, clearly touched. "Are you sure you're not an angel, Max? That was just what I needed to hear."

Max let the hug go and smiled at the Christian girl again. "Nope, not an angel. But maybe one pointed you out to me and put that verse in my head. I mean... that's the only explanation, right? God is looking out for you, Kate. You just have to let him."

"I will. And... I'll call you later. I could use a friendly voice." The girl responded.

"Even if you don't call, we'll have tea soon. I'll see you later, Kate. I've got some more angel work to do, I think." Max waved and headed for the door.

"I see you, Max! Don't even think about leaving before you talk to me about your photo." Mr. Jefferson called out.

Crap... how had she forgotten about that? The last thing she wanted to do was talk to that man though... not after what he did to her and Chloe in the previous timelines. Screw it, she just walked out. "Max!" He called, but she was already out the door and walking down the hall to the girl's bathroom. Fuck Mr. Jefferson. She couldn't even look at him anymore.

Max quickly moved into position and snapped the photo of the butterfly after it landed on the bucket. Like clockwork, the bathroom door was thrown open and Nathan walked in, muttering to himself. She was really starting to believe that some events were tied to her and certain actions... that they happened when the original trigger reoccurred. Like time was fragmented and the pieces could only fall into place when she did the right actions. 

That... fit what she was experiencing, but unfortunately she couldn't observe it from an outside perspective to test it. She was part of the system, so she couldn't trigger an event and witness it at a distance at the same time... or... could she? She could attempt to get close enough to trigger an event and then move away and rewind time to see if the event still happened at the same time in both circumstances. But not this event... she had to be here to save Chloe.

Speaking of her blue-haired angel, in she walked, sauntering in with confidence. "I hope you checked the perimeter as my step-ass would say..." Chloe paused at the last stall in what seemed a longer moment than normal... but perhaps that was just nerves. Then she turned around and faced Nathan. "Now, let's talk bidness."

"I have nothing for you." Nathan growled as his hands clenched.

"You've got access to cash, don't shit me, Prescott." Chloe stated. Wait... that sounded off. Was she misremembering? "Look dude, all I need is 3k to pay off what I owe to Frank. Then we'll never speak of what happened in your room again."

"That's my _family's_ money... not mine!" The Prescott boy declared.

"I don't care how you get it, I just need the money so I can get Frank off my back. And you need me silent about your creepy extracurricular activities. It's win/win." The punk girl declared.

"Get out of my face, bitch! You don't know who the fuck I am or who you're messing-" Nathan stated as he started pulling a gun.

Max started going for the fire alarm but then she heard the sound of metal clattering to the floor. Wait... what?

"No, _you_ don't know who _you're_ messing with, you punk ass! The price has gone up because you were stupid enough to pull a fuckin' gun on me. 5k, Prescott." Chloe stated confidently.

Max peeked back around the corner and saw Chloe shoving David's gun into Nathan's face. What the hell was going on with time now? Had she completely fucked it up?

Nathan was whimpering and trembling. He may have been unbalanced but he certainly wasn't stupid. "I... fine. But it'll take a day or two. I'll figure something out."

"Oh, I know you will. Now scram, this is the girl's bathroom, perv." Chloe stated with a chuckle. After he ran out she retrieved the boy's fallen pistol and paused for a moment before she walked out.

"That... was hella weird." Max muttered. She waited a minute and then walked out as well, coming face to face with David Madsen. What the hell? "Something I can help you with, Mr. Madsen?"

David looked confused for a moment, like he couldn't remember what he was doing. "You... you look like you're up to no good." He stated after a moment of hesitation, as if suddenly remembering what he wanted to say.

"I was just using the bathroom. Can't a girl pee in peace around here?" The time traveler inquired, crossing her arms and giving David a look as if to suggest he was being creepy.

The security officer was at a loss. "Well... fine. But I'm keeping an eye on you, so keep your nose clean!" He finally managed.

"You do realize how creepy you're being right now, right?" Max inquired with an upraised eyebrow.

David looked really confused and just shook his head and started walking away. "I didn't mean it that way. Just... go back to what you were doing."

The brunette chuckled and started walking towards the door when Principal Wells stepped out. Oh for the love of... she tried to keep walking but he called her over. What now?! "Yes, Principal Wells?"

"I wanted to speak to you for a moment, Ms. Caulfield. Mr. Jefferson informed me that you ran out of his class and refused to stop when he called out to you. He said you were very rude... uncharacteristically so. Would you like to explain to me what is going on?" The principal inquired, giving her a look that she was sure Chloe had received many times... the 'you're screwing up and I won't have it!' look.

"Oh... did he? Sorry, I didn't hear him. I really had to pee and I couldn't wait. I didn't mean to be rude." Max lied.

Principal Wells stared down at her and she could tell he wasn't buying her story. "Are you sure that's all there is to it? You can tell me if something is going on."

She hated this moment. She couldn't share what was going on with the man... but she wished she could. How could he even begin to understand? "There's nothing going on."

He obviously didn't believe her but there was nothing he could really do about it. "All right Ms. Caulfield... but keep in mind my door is always open."

Max suppressed a sigh as she walked out. A moment later she got a text from Warren asking for his flash drive. Sigh. She walked to the dorms and of course there was Victoria and the bitch brigade. "Please just let me by." Max requested, hoping that this was another aspect of the timeline that was different.

"Oh look, it's Max Caulfield, the selfie ho of Blackwell. What a lame gimmick. Even Mark -Mr. Jefferson- falls for your waif hipster bullshit." Victoria stated as she walked around Max. 'The Daguerreian Process, Sir!' You could barely even say that. I guess you got your meds filled. Since you know all the answers, I guess you have to find another way into the dorm. We ain't moving. Oh wait, hold that pose!" She snapped a picture of the brunette while giving her a haughty smile. "Don't worry, Max, I'll put a vintage filter on it right before I post it all over social medias. Now why don't you go fuck your selfie."

Max scowled as Courtney laughed. Why did she ever try to be nice to them? Screw this. She thought just pushing past... there was a gap between Courtney and Taylor while Victoria was up asserting her dominance around her... but that would likely start a fight. Even if she reversed time again she'd still have to push past them again on the way out. So yeah... screw this. Eat paint, bitch.

Max turned and walked off without a word, pausing to tamper with the paint bucket when the mean girls looked away and then heading into Samuel's maintenance room and switching the direction of the sprinklers. She hung back and watched as Samuel carried the bucket up the ladder. "Victoria, watch out!" Max cried suddenly, surprising even herself as she pulled Victoria out of the way just as the paint bucket fell.

Max and Victoria's gaze met and there was surprise on both of their faces. Why hadn't she just let her get the paint on her? Maybe she wasn't quite as cynical as she thought she had grown... the old kind-hearted Max was still in there. "Are you okay, Victoria?" The time traveler inquired.

Victoria's gaze moved back down to the paint bucket, her eyes still wide with surprise. "Yeah... uh... thanks. That was..." The blonde girl just shook her head and stepped out of the way. "Go on, before I change my mind."

"Thanks Victoria." The brunette responded, walking past a confused looking Taylor and Courtney.

"One of _you_ could have warned me, you know!" Victoria could be heard saying as Max walked up to the door to the dorms.

"I didn't see it!" Courtney asserted meekly.

"Right... way to watch my back, Courtney." Victoria grumbled angrily.

After Max got to the girls dorms she pondered what happened. Had... she been inhabited by a future version of herself? If so... how? The picture that Victoria took... it was possible. She wondered what could have made her travel back in time just to prevent Victoria from getting paint on herself though. 

She wouldn't know that until her timelines caught up to each other though. She had to assume it was for a good reason though... likely better than just feeling guilty over it. Perhaps she'd need a favor from Victoria in the future and she hoped being in her good graces would facilitate that? Something to ponder.

Max approached Juliet and watched in silent amusement as she blocked Dana from leaving the room. She wasn't sure why it was such a big deal... Dana didn't leave her room after she was free to anyway... all it really did was prevent her from getting her flash drive. Weird. Life just liked throwing in random obstacles, it seemed.

"Juliet, I overheard Victoria laughing about pranking you by sexting with Zachary. If you don't believe me, I'll bet there's something on her computer about it." Max stated as she talked to the angry girl. "You're an investigative journalist, right? Go investigate. I need to talk to Dana for a minute anyway, she borrowed something from me. Don't worry, she won't escape. Better hurry though, Victoria might not be outside for long."

Juliet was about to protest but the chance to 'investigate' Victoria's room proved too strong so she told Max to watch Dana while she checked out her story. Max was happy to finally get someone else to do the dirty work for once. She retrieved Warren's flash drive and sat down for a minute to talk to Dana, choosing not to bring up the pregnancy this time.

"Juliet was having quite a meltdown, huh?" Max inquired jokingly.

"Yeah... like I would mess with her boyfriend. Hopefully she finds something in Victoria's room to clear my good name." Dana stated hopefully.

They chatted for a few minutes more and then Juliet appeared looking bashful. "You were right, Max. There was an email about it on her computer. I'm such an idiot for believing it... do you forgive me, Dana?"

"Of course! But you're doing my laundry for a week." The cheerleader stated with a smile.

Max chuckled and waved as she left the two girls behind. Finally she could go return Warren's flash drive. Would Nathan still come out and get in her face? She really hoped not... she needed to ask him about his visions but that wouldn't be the ideal time. And if Chloe was being more aggressive with him, shoving a gun in his face like that... what might she do if she saw Nathan getting in Max's face and shaking her?

The hipster made her way out into the parking lot and looked towards Chloe's truck... not there yet. Of course not. Well, she had to return the flash drive anyway. She walked up and started handing the flash drive over, doing her best not to smile as Warren awkwardly put his arms down after a failed hug attempt. Sorry Warren, but it's not that easy. "Here's your flash drive. Thanks."

"Uh... no problem." Warren shifted awkwardly and then gestured to his car. "Check out my new wheels!"

"Cool. Warren, I need to talk to you about something. You're..." She paused as she noticed Warren's eyes move past her. Oh no... come on. She turned and instead of seeing an approaching Prescott, she saw Chloe instead pulling up in her truck. "Chloe?"

"Come on, dude. You can get drooled on by the boy toy later. Get in." Chloe demanded.

"Max... do you know her?" Warren asked, unsure if he needed to intercede or not.

"Yeah... she's my best friend. We'll talk later, okay? She looks impatient." Max smiled and waved as she got into Chloe's truck.

"Uh... yeah, okay. See you M..." Warren was saying as the truck pulled off. "... ax."

Max was looking back towards the boy, thinking that at least he didn't get his butt kicked by Nathan this time... but that was a bit rude. Oh well, it wasn't her fault. She turned back to look at Chloe and stared at her for a minute, captivated by her beauty. The way the sunlight framed her like a halo. Whoa... holy shit, her camera... it wasn't broken this time! She couldn't help it, she snapped a picture.

"Same ol' Max, huh?" Chloe chuckled as she drove. "Five years with barely a call or a text and the first thing you do when you see me is snap a picture. Never change, hippie."

The brunette looked over at Chloe, noticing that she didn't seem angry like she normally did. Why was that? "You're... not angry with me? About sucking at keeping in touch?"

"It was shitty of you, yeah. But let's talk about that later. It's good to see you, Max." Chloe stated earnestly.

Max smiled, touched by the punk girl's words. "It is seriously good to see you too, Chloe."

Chloe looked at her silently for a few moments and then let out a dry chuckle. "Funny, you don't seem surprised to see me."

The brunette shook her head. "No, it makes perfect sense that I'd see you today. It's been a seriously weird day... and there are things we need to talk about but... it can wait."

"Yeah... same here." Chloe smirked and focused on her driving, ignoring the confused look that Max sent her way.

Max pondered the situation, feeling really lost and that was an unusual especially this early in a time loop. It made her both nervous and pleasantly surprised. She followed Chloe into the home and was pointed towards the steps leading upstairs, the blue-haired girl ducking into the garage instead. Max shook her head in confusion and went up the stairs as directed and sat down at the desk and looked at her camera, double-checking that everything was fine with it, even though she had taken a photo on the truck ride over here.

Chloe walked in a minute later and plopped down on her bed and lit up a cigarette. Max felt relieved that she wouldn't have to warn the girl about the joint at least. "Chloe... we need to talk and... I'm not sure how best to start this." Max began, still awkward even though she had done this before.

"Wait, me first. I have something super cool to tell you." The punk girl raised her hands up in an expressive gesture, a huge grin on her face. She waited a moment to build suspense and then said "I have time travel powers! Isn't that cool?"

Max's mouth dropped open so fast and hard that if she were a cartoon character it would have fallen through the floor. "Wha... what?!" She cried, completely shocked.

Chloe laughed loudly and clutched at her sides, laughing all the more at the quizzical expression that the brunette gave her. "Oh man... I've been waiting so long to say that. The look on your face... so worth the wait!"

The photographer was just staring at the blue-haired girl, feeling totally confused and not knowing what to say. Her train of thought was interrupted when she heard David getting home. "Oh shit... David's going to come up looking for his gun. At least you're not smoking a joint this time..."

"Nah dude, I already put his gun back. What do you think I was doing in the garage? Told you Spider-Max, time travel powers." Chloe stated with a huge grin on her face.

Max just stared at her. "Are... are you cereal?"

The punk girl grinned and was silent for a long pause and then laughed again. "Nah, I'm fucking with you. I had you going though, didn't I?"

"Yes... but... how? Chloe, do you... remember the last timeline?" Max asked hopefully.

Chloe shook her head. "Nope. I wish I did, but you're the only one who remembers. You're wondering how I already know about your powers, huh? And how I knew Nathan would pull a gun on me... and that I needed to put the gun back. And some other things in the future that I can't mention yet."

The time traveler nodded, even more confused than before. How could Chloe know about the future events of the timeline if she didn't remember them? "Things in the future that you can't mention? I don't understand."

Chloe nodded towards a box by her desk as she finished up her cigarette. "Check in there, that should explain some of your questions."

Max frowned thoughtfully and opened up the box and instantly recognized the contents. "These... these are my old journals!" She picked one up and opened it. It was one she had started soon after she had moved to Seattle. There were dozens of letters that she had started writing to Chloe but she had always stopped in the middle, feeling really awkward about not being able to talk in person. Everything she said felt so lame and nothing she could write came close to what she wanted to and needed to say.

After some time the letters changed, she acknowledged that too much time had passed and she hoped to find the courage to send these letters anyway. She started adding photos and speaking earnestly about her thoughts. Telling Chloe all the things she was going through. Her own depression, how horrible she felt to be away from Chloe during the worst time in her life. Her struggles to find the right words to express how she felt.

Max's hand covered her mouth as she set the journal back down and looked at the others... they were all there. Right up until when she was about to leave for Arcadia Bay. "Wowsers... you... you read all of these? How did you get them?"

"You sent them to me right before you left. I've had a good month to read through all of them." The punk girl responded. "How could I stay mad at you, seeing how much you went through as well? I mean... fuck, Max. You were wallowing in misery in Seattle... and I saw how much you struggled with your guilt and desire to be here, with me. I wish you had been able to send those letters. The ones where you started being honest moreso than the first ones... but I understand. Fuck, I did something similar. Look in that box." The blue-haired girl pointed at a box over by her closet.

Max got up and looked in that one. These were Chloe's journals. Pages and pages of letters to 'Max', telling her everything. Including her anger at being abandoned. It was all there... raw and unfiltered Chloe Price. She felt a tear drip out of her eye and hit the page she was looking at and she quickly covered her eyes so no more fell. "Shit..."

"It's cool, dude. I felt the same way when I looked at yours." Chloe responded.

The brunette shook her head and looked back at the box with her own journals. "I still don't understand though... those journals were from before I discovered my powers. So how did you know about them? And what was going to happen today?"

The blue-haired girl smiled. "You wrote another journal. Apparently you traveled back through a photo just before you left Seattle. You wrote the journal and packed up all your old journals and sent them to me. Some future version of you, I guess. I know everything, Mighty Max. I know what happened to Rachel. I know about that creepy photography teacher... and Nathan. And the storm, and how we gotta figure out how to stop it. This future you didn't know how to do that, but you knew you were getting distracted too much by trying to catch me up and deal with all this shit and people were dying as a result. I guess this was your solution."

Max felt a pang of guilt at that. "You... you had to go through all this alone? I am such an asshole!" She cried.

"Yeah... and it's been hard for me not to approach you before today, knowing you were back. But you were pretty clear that it might have disastrous consequences, if I talked to you before the time loop established itself. But I forgive you, dude. You're here for me now, that's what matters." The punk girl responded.

"Chloe..." The brunette impulsively hugged the other girl and held her close. "I am so... so sorry."

"I know, Max. Shit... I probably know you better than you know yourself now. We need to focus on what's important for now though... saving this fucking town and everyone in it." Chloe stated firmly.

"You're right, Chloe. Now... where do we start?" Max inquired, determination on her face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Such a complete reversal of roles! Chloe actually knows more than Max right now... or at least a little more, depending on when Future Max sent went back into the past, and what all she included in the journal she wrote to Chloe. Will the information in that journal be enough to keep them from falling into Mr. Jefferson's hands? And will they be able to finally figure out what's causing the storm and stop it? Only time will tell!
> 
> By the way, in case anyone is interested I started an RP twitter account for my Max. I post there quite often. There's also a curiouscat link where you can ask Max questions. Check it out if you feel like it!
> 
> https://twitter.com/SuperMaxoxo
> 
> Max's 'end of chapter' summary:
> 
> Major Decisions:  
> The Face of Evil: "You chose not to face Mr. Jefferson in class."  
> Hang back a Minute: "You chose to let Chloe handle her bidness."  
> Mean Girls 3: " ~~You chose to comfort Victoria after dropping paint on her.~~ You chose to save Victoria from the paint. Wait, why?"  
>  Stealing Thunder: "You chose to let Chloe reveal her secret first. You're so polite."
> 
> Minor Decisions:  
> Verses vs.: "You chose to uplift Kate with bible verses."  
> Dirty Work: "You chose to have Juliet search Victoria's room."  
> Cheering up the Cheerleader: "You chose to not talk to Dana about her pregnancy."  
> Gullibility: "You believed Chloe when she claimed to have time powers. It wasn't _that_ unbelievable, right? Okay stop laughing Chloe... sigh."


End file.
